Flower Girl
by Disera
Summary: (Slight AU for creative purposes, Slow burn) When Nina meets Olivia Stark her whole world is turned on its head. She suddenly finds herself an Avenger, coveted for her healing abilities. Amidst the chaos she finds her heart and her mind torn in all directions, risking losing both in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Lets be honest, guys. This was a long time coming. The fact that it has taken me this long to write an Avengers fic is kind of ridiculous in itself. Now, I had a pretty solid plan for this when I started writing it. Then, somewhere around page/chapter 16 I kind of fucked things up for myself. I'm sure things will be fine for you, but I ended up overriding my own plan and I'd already started story boarding. It was a whole thing. ANYWAY, I would really like to know what people think of the direction I'm taking this is. Since it's already gone off the rails I'm open to suggestions!

Please enjoy.

-D

Flower Girl

Once in the air, Nina pushed open the window, peering out at the patchwork of cityscape thousands of feet below. She had never flown before. It felt magical.

Her father sat next to her, already flipping through a SkyMall magazine. If it weren't for him she wouldn't be seeing Manhattan at such an angle. He worked for some big corporation functioning as a partner of Stark Industries. After decades of working his way up the ladder he had finally been invited to a gala-and a much less exciting business meeting-in Malibu.

It couldn't have come at a better time. Nina was in her junior year of college, studying as a journalism major. Being that it was summer, she had found herself with quite a bit of free time on her hands. To be honest, if she hadn't been able to attend such a prestigious event she would have been utterly heartbroken.

The flights were long and with layovers. Despite finding herself in situations where most people would be groaning and complaining Nina was nothing but giddy. She bounced around the airports with a childlike gleam in her eyes, her father struggling to keep up. He was glad to see her so happy. He was also glad to have a navigation expert with him. In comparison to the streets of New York, airports were nothing to Nina.

By the time they landed in Malibu, Frank was dragging his feet, barely able to make it to the cab without falling over. Nina on the other hand was fueled by Cinnabon, Sabbaro, and the excitement of being somewhere new. She spent the ride to the hotel with her head halfway out the window, hair barely even blowing in the slow traffic, which was nothing new to her.

Reaching the hotel didn't stop her from craning her neck to take everything in. She took over finding the room corporate had booked, her father following sleepily behind her. Once inside the small, two bed room, it was lights out for Frank. Nina, on the other hand, planted herself in front of the window, staring out at the lights of the city. It was true that she was accustom to city life. It was all she'd ever know. But this felt different. New. Exciting.

Despite barely getting any sleep that night she was a ball of energy the next morning. She and Frank got breakfast at the hotel the next morning before setting out on the town. Nina would have dragged him all over hell and creation if only he would have let her. He shouldn't have expected anything less, as she tended to run around Brooklyn with the same enthusiasm. He was hoping by the time they went to the gala she would have tired herself out. He had no such luck.

Nina and Frank stood at the door of the gala, waiting to get in. She had no idea how much she looked like she belonged there. She wore a long, dark blue dress that glittered as it caught the light of flashing cameras. Her hair was worn up in a neat bun, revealing the elegant slope of her neck. Her pale gray eyes shone with undeniable mirth and the smile never left her lips.

Once inside everything began to settle down. It was time to mingle and while Frank had found one of his business associates, Nina was determined not to stand awkwardly at his side the entire night. She snuck away and begun wandering around with no destination in mind. She was stopped by a well dressed man balancing a tray of champagne and, while she still had a week until her twenty-first birthday, she graciously took one as if it were second nature.

Nina was sipping from her glass, looking up at what she presumed to be a nineteenth century French oil painting when she was approached for a second time.

" _La Libert_ _é_ _guidant la peuple_ , Eugene Delacroix, 1830," Nina looked to her side. A young woman was standing there, auburn waves cascading down her slender shoulders. Her eyes, a stunning emerald green, swung from the painting to Nina, a gentle smile on her painted lips.

"Huh," Nina smiled, looking back up at the painting. "I was right. I think I've been spending too much time in art galleries," Not that there was any such thing. The Metropolitan Art Museum of Art in Manhattan was perhaps her favorite place in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm Katerina Stan. You can all me Kat, if you like," She extended her hand to Nina.

"Nina Wesley. It's nice to meet you," She suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Even though this girl didn't look much older than her, she was probably of a much higher standing. She was at risk of making a fool of herself, which happened to be a talent of hers where social interactions were concerned.

"Ew, are you talking about art?" A voice said from behind them. They both turned to find a boyish girl raising an eyebrow at them. Her hair was much lighter and much shorter than Nina's or Katerina's and was slightly a mess, like she'd been running her fingers through it. She wore minimal makeup, smudged slightly around the eyes and when she walked towards them she stumbled in her heels, cursing as she nearly spilled her drink.

"I fuckin' hate this shit. Can we leave yet?" Nina almost wanted to laugh. There was something very comforting about this girl's informality. It reminded her of home.

"We just got here," Katerina said, turning abruptly back to Nina.

"I apologize. My friend doesn't like to follow the social norms and therefore doesn't know how to behave in public," Katerina apologized only to be immediately mocked by her friend.

" _My friend doesn't like to follow the social norms_ ," The girl screwed up her face and suddenly downed her almost full glass. "Get fucked," Nina couldn't help but sputter out a laugh.

"Oh my goodness," She quickly covered her mouth, still smiling behind her hand.

"Olivia Stark, nice to meet you," The girl shoved her hand towards Nina, who felt her heart skip a beat. Laughing at a Stark at a Stark gala. Somehow that didn't seem like the best thing she could have done.

"You're Tony Stark's daughter?" Nina asked, almost mindlessly shaking the girl's hand.

"Yeah, most people call me the family disappointment," Nina smile awkwardly, not sure quite how to respond to that. In the end it didn't really matter. Olivia wasn't looking at her. She was looking up at the painting, head cocked to the side.

"I still prefer _Saturn Devouring His Son,_ " Olivia looked to Nina again "Francisco Goya, 1819 to 1823," She smiled sarcastically.

"That's kind of horrifying," Nina noted. She was familiar with the painting. It was haunting and seeing that arm disappear into Saturn's gaping maw accompanied by his wide, white eyes always left her feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah," This time Olivia's smile was genuine, a glint of mischief in her dark eyes. "I have a print framed in my bedroom," Nina couldn't help but laugh and the look on Olivia's face told her she would prefer she did.

"I think you might need therapy," At this, Katerina immediately burst out laughing as well and Olivia slung her arm across Nina's shoulders, even though she had to reach up a bit.

"I like you. Lets be friends," With that Nina was steered away down a life path she never could have expected. First stop, the cool kid's table.

"So, who dragged you here?" Olivia asked as the three of them sat down at the nearest table.

"I came with my dad. There wasn't much dragging involved," Nina took another sip of her drink. She had a feeling, with the turn things had taken, she was going to need some liquid courage. At the time, she couldn't have known how right she was.

"Wouldn't that be nice," Katerina mumbled.

"Oh, would you stop. I don't know why anyone likes these things," Olivia rested her cheek on her hand, eyes darting around for another free drink.

"So, Nina, what does your father do," Katerina asked, eager to direct attention away from Olivia.

"Oh," Nina smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm not really sure, actually. He works for a partner company of Stark Industries," That was about as much as she knew. He'd had so many promotions in the last two years she couldn't keep up with them. She supposed that was nothing to complain about.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are you from?" Katerina asked next.

"Brooklyn," Nina's eyes lit up at the mention on it. Unlike most people, she loved where she lived and she had no intention of ever leaving. Even after a lifetime of it, New York was still a wonderland to her. Things never stopped moving or changing so there was always something new to discover.

"Oh, that's nice. Much quieter than the city," Nina couldn't help but laugh at that. It were as if Brooklyn were Nebraska to them.

"Well, I suppose," Nina trailed off and the conversation moved on.

It was surprising how well Nina managed to integrate herself into their dynamic. Katerina and Olivia had been practically inseparable for a decade. Their father's had been business partners and close personal friends until Katerina's father, Obadiah Stan, went AWOL. Katerina moved into the Stark household not long after that and it had been at least a year since they'd gone a day without each other. But there was something about Nina that drew the circle to a close.

"You should come home with us tonight," Olivia said after several hours. At this point the main event, Tony Stark giving some poorly thought out speech, was long over and guests had been leaving in groups for the past hour.

"What?" Nina choked on her drink.

"Come on. I'll make it worth your while," Olivia winked and placed a hand on Nina's thigh. For a moment, she started losing her mind. Her face dropped and took the color with it. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates, her mouth hanging open slightly. It wasn't until Katerina started laughing that she realized it was a joke.

"You should see your face," Olivia teased as she removed her hand from Nina's thigh. Katerina was bent over the table, face in her hand, absolutely howling. People were staring now, which didn't help poor Nina.

"That was not funny," Nina whispered harshly, leaning in towards them and hunkering down, trying to disappear into herself. Despite herself, she was smiling and barely containing laughter herself. Olivia gave her an incredulous look and Katerina was still trying to compose herself.

"No," Katerina said, now only chuckling as she carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. "I agree. You should stay the night with us. You'll be in town for a while right? No one flies out for these things and only stays one day," Nina was reeling at the prospect.

"Well," She trailed off, suddenly glancing around the room. "I would have to ask my dad," She said distantly.

"What are you, fourteen?" Olivia commented.

"No," Nina said defensively, stopping her search long enough to glance at Olivia. "But I'm supposed to be spending time with him. And besides, I'm sure he'd like to know where I'm going to be," Even though she felt a little bad about ditching him, he _was_ going to be at a conference for most of the next day. She was going to have to find something to do either way.

"So, it's a date," Olivia wriggled her eyebrows.

"Yes," Nina smiled and stood. "I'll be right back," She assured them before taking off. One of her skills was apparently walking in heels, because she jogged over to him with relative grace and pulled him away from the man he was speaking with.

"I have a question," He nodded for her to go on. "I've made friend's with Olivia Stark and she asked me to spend the night with her," Frank's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to her.

"That's who you've been talking to all night?" Things were turning out to be a lot more eventful than either of them had planned.

Nina smiled and nodded.

"Well," Frank gathered himself. "I supposed I'll be busy most of the day tomorrow. I don't see why not," Just then a hand closed around Nina's wrist.

"I'll have her home by dinner, Mr. Wesley," Olivia said as she dragged Nina away. Nina tripped over her heels, barely getting her footing before turning her ankle. "Good night!" Nina gave her dad and half smile and a wave. Awestruck and taken completely off guard, he did the same.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Olivia and Katerina are prime examples of characters running off with their own bios. I wrote out Nina, Olivia, and Katerina before I started on the story. To be honest, my main focus had been on Olivia and I figured Nina would get left in the dust. She was the last character I wrote. But, as I got further and further into who Olivia and Katerina were, I realized they weren't the best kinds of people.

"More drinks!" Olivia exclaimed. They were all three seated in the back of a limousine. This was the first time Nina had been in one and she had to pretend it wasn't a big deal for her. Things were moving fast and she was going to have to roll with the punches.

At the age of twenty-one, Olivia was already a master bar tender. Even in the back of a limousine. Nina watched, fidgeting with her fingers as Olivia poured a menagerie of liquor and mixers into a cocktail shaker. She poured a glass and handed it to Nina, who took it eagerly. It took a surprising amount of alcohol to have any effect on her and she hadn't had nearly enough.

"So, what does Brooklyn's Sweetheart do for fun?" Olivia asked, crossing her legs and leaning back against fine Italian leather. Nina thought for a minute, taking another sip of her drink. It was sweet and bitter with a bit of a burn.

"I read a lot. I play a few instruments," She shrugged, sure that, compared to them, what she did for fun wasn't really that fun at all.

"What do you play?" Katerina asked.

"Piano, violin, cello," She took another sip. "It's kind of how I make a living. I'm basically a lounge singer," To her surprise, they both looked impressed.

"Oh, that's kind of cool," Katerina said it like she wasn't expecting it. It probably should have been a little offensive.

"Do you go to school or anything?" Katerina moved on.

"Yeah, I'm a journalism major," Olivia groaned and rolled her head back against her seat.

"Journalists are the worst," She complained.

"Liv, be nice," Katerina scolded, nudging her with her leg.

"It's okay," Nina excused.

Olivia spent the rest of the drive trying to talk Nina out of her major and pouring her more drinks than she realized. It wasn't until they got out at the penthouse that she realized what had happened.

"Damn, how are you still upright? You've had, what," Olivia stopped for a second. She was too drunk to count and walk at the same time. "Three glasses of champagne, and like four...what the fuck, Nina? You're like a hundred pounds soaking wet. You should be _dead_ by now," The older girl stared at her new companion like she was an alien. A staggering Katerina couldn't help but do the same.

"Hey, us simple people have secrets too," Nina teased.

"What do you do? Eat a bowl of charcoal for breakfast?" Nina only smiled and shook her head, following Katerina into the building.

Nina Wesley did actually have a secret. A big one. And it wasn't something she was about to spill to someone she had just met, billionaire or not.

The three wandered into Olivia's room. Sure enough, she did have a disturbingly large print of _Saturn Devouring His Son_ on the wall right across from her bed. Olivia lent Nina some more comfortable clothes to lounge in and they all got comfortable on the floor, settling in for a long night of getting to know each other.

It was when the party favors came out that Nina started to realize the reality of her situation. Or rather, of theirs. Olivia and Katerina were both only siblings with no mothers and rich, absentee father figures. They weren't the most stable people on the planet.

"Pick your poison," Speaking of poisons, Olivia had laid out a large number of them. There was every color and shape of prescription pills, what she assumed was cocaine, and a fairly large bag of weed. Weed she didn't have a problem with, but everything else made her tense up.

"I'll stick with the drinks, thanks," She said, taking another sip of the most expensive wine she would ever taste.

Nina was a good girl, so to speak. She had never experimented with drugs and didn't typically befriend people who liked to do coke in their spare time. Even if she _had_ taken Olivia up on her offer, it would have been a waste. Similar to the alcohol, she was pretty sure drugs wouldn't have any effect on her. Anesthetic didn't. It was fun trying to explain that one to the dentist. The removal of her wisdom teeth turned into a pretty uncomfortable situation.


	5. Chapter 5

"More for us, then," Olivia said with a shrug.

Nina watched wearily as Katerina plucked a few pills out of a baggy and popped them into her mouth, swallowing them dry. As much as she wasn't into what was going on, she was determined not to let it ruin her good time. After all, in a few days she would be back in Brooklyn and this would just be some wild story she would tell her grandchildren.

"I'm starving!" Olivia exclaimed, dramatically falling backwards and splaying herself out on the floor. Several more hours had gone by at this point, but Nina was pretty sure neither of them currently had a good concept of time. Speaking of Nina, she was finally drunk, and drunk Nina liked to eat.

"Lets go," Nina grabbed Olivia by the hands, both of them struggling to get up off the floor and giggling all the way. They tripped out of the room and then out of the building, Katerina following behind them, only occasionally stumbling.

Considering none of them were in any condition to drive and they weren't collected enough to call a cab or anything of the like, they walked. They got their sea legs quickly and ducked into the first open restaurant they came across, which happened to be a Chinese place. Olivia ordered their food in sloppy Mandarin, which would have been more impressive to the employees if the girls hadn't been so obnoxious. It was safe to say they had no idea how loud they were.

Luckily for everyone involved, Nina was considerate even while under the influence. She thanked the man who took their order and apologized. She even made sure their table was cleaned up when they left and called a cheerful "Good night!" Over her shoulder as they walked out the door.

"I just had _the best_ idea," Olivia announced as they wandered through the streets. All three of them had their arms around each other, trying to stabilize themselves, when in reality it was probably making it harder to walk.

"We should get tattoos. Like friendship bracelets but permanent," Katerina shrugged at the idea. It was surprising she even heard. Whatever she'd taken seemed to be wearing off. Instead of looking like a paranoid runaway she looked like she'd taken a handful of tranquilizers. Her eyes were far away and her expression never changed. She hadn't said anything in a long time.

Nina thought about it. She thought tattoos were beautiful, but she'd never seriously considered getting one. Despite the fact she was drunk and didn't have any money, it sounded like a good idea.

"Are there even any shops open?" She finally asked. One factor she hadn't immediately considered was that it was easily three in the morning. Even the clubs were closed. The chances of finding a tattoo parlor open seemed pretty low.

"I know a place," Olivia insisted as she quickly changed their direction. As she hurried along, almost forgetting her friends, Nina found herself supporting almost all Katerina's body weight. She was starting to get a little nervous again. Brooklyn was far from void of drugs, but, as previously mentioned, Nina didn't usually associate herself with those kinds of people.

Olivia eventually turned down an alley, and at that point Nina wasn't surprised. Olivia wrenched open a rusty side door and the three of them walked into a dark, smoke filled room.

"Hi, everyone!" Olivia greeted, tripping over herself and being caught by a mountain of a man.

"You ladies need a ride?" He asked, looking over them skeptically. He sounded oddly responsible for someone hanging out in a drug din.

"No, we need tattoos. Where's Nolan?" Olivia asked, pushing herself away from the man. He gave them another once over before leading them through a maze of equally dark hallways. It was a wonder anyone could find their way.

The girls were eventually led to a blindingly lit room, silent aside from the sound of a tattoo machine buzzing. The man inside, presumably Nolan, greeted them cheerfully and told them to have a seat. While they waited for Nolan to finish working on a massive back piece, Nina started to sober up. The droning buzz made her tired and pretty soon she could barely keep her eyes open. She must have actually drifted off, because the next thing she knew, Olivia was nudging her and telling her it was her turn.


	6. Chapter 6

"Check it out," Olivia held up her shirt and pushed the waistband of her shorts down a little. Right next to her hip bone was a black lightening bolt. "I'm Black Thunder," She sputtered a laugh and Nina couldn't help but laugh too.

"Its your turn," Olivia said again, this time pulling Nina up by the hands.

"Do I have to get the same thing?" She asked, suddenly feeling nervous. To be honest, she hadn't thought this out much. Maybe that was for the best.

"No, but get it in the same place," Olivia planted herself near by, resting her chin in her palm and tilting her head. Nina was starting to wonder how she was still so...awake.

"Okay," Nina turned her attention to Nolan. "Do you have a piece of paper?" She asked, her smile shy. It made Nolan wonder what this girl was doing with such a loose cannon. She looked like she should have been tucked in bed dreaming about a masters degree and white picket fences. Nevertheless, he handed over a piece of paper and a pen.

Nina drew a quick sketch. It was something she'd had in her head for a while. Some part of a farfetched dream. But, at the moment, she felt like anything could happen. She explained the missing details of the sloppy sketch and Nolan drew up a quick one of his own. It was exactly what she had envisioned.

The pain wasn't as bad as she'd expected it to be. The tattoo machine didn't come with the discomfort or pinch she was used to feeling when needles were involved. It felt more like a cat scratch or a bee sting. Either way, it was surprisingly bearable and didn't take long.

Nina stood in front of a full body mirror, looking down at the artwork now gracing her left hip. The small crescent moon seemed to match up perfectly with the curve of her stomach and the stem of the rose that fell across it was perfect, thorns and all.

Katerina ended up getting a pitchfork, which was ultimately decided by Olivia. Nina was pretty sure Katerina didn't even know where she was and could only hope she wouldn't care too much when she finally snapped out of it. To Nolan's credit, it wasn't badly done.

The walk home ended up feeling a lot longer than the walk there. All three of them were starting to sober up. Suddenly all Olivia could do was complain about how much her feet hurt and how stupid her father was. At this point, Nina hadn't met Tony Stark, but she was getting a lot of personal insight. Katerina started talking again. Mostly to tell Olivia to shut it and complain of a headache. Nina felt like she was babysitting toddlers all of the sudden.

Once they got back to the penthouse, Nina was fully expecting to go to sleep. Bed, couch, floor; she didn't care much by that point. Unfortunately for her, Olivia picked up three bottles of water from the kitchen and led them all up to the roof where their pow-wow continued.

There was a long span of silence where they all stared out over the cityscape, watching the sky lighten from black to deep blue. The sun would be up within the hour. Nina sipped her water and took a deep, cleansing breath. She felt light as a feather despite being exhausted and still a little inebriated.

"I want to show you something," Olivia broke the silence. Her tone was serious, which made both Nina and, a much more coherent, Katerina look at her.

Unlike Nina, Katerina knew exactly what Olivia was referring to. In any other circumstances, she would have given her reckless friend a hard look and insist she not do something so completely idiotic. Katerina didn't trust anyone. She withheld a lot of secrets, even from Olivia, who was easily her best friend.

"Are you sure?" Katerina asked, sounding just as serious. She wasn't sure why she was even asking. Why she was even allowing something like this to _possibly_ happen. Maybe she was just tired. Physically exhausted and done hiding things. She was stupid to think it, but Nina seemed harmless enough.


	7. Chapter 7

"Yeah," Olivia said through a deep breath.

She held her hand out in front of her and watched, looking almost bored, as what looked like liquid metal began consuming it. The shining silver substance ran down her wrist like water, eventually coating her entire hand and, despite how it looked, she curled and flexed her fingers unhindered. Nina jumped slightly as blue sparks began jumping across the back of Olivia's hand, electrifying the air around them.

Nina's heart was pounding, her eyes wider than they had ever been. Her entire body tensed and her own voice was screaming inside her head. She jumped again when a whooshing sound came from her left. She turned quickly to see Katerina holding up her hand, which was concealed within a blazing orange flame, regarding it with a frown.

Slowly. Calmly. Nina pressed her palm against the smooth, warm stone floor of the roof. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she gradually lifted her hand straight up, everyone watching as a trail of stone came with it. As she lifted her hand higher the stone sculpted itself at her command, curving, thinning, widening, until she was holding a thin blade resembling a throwing knife. Looking at the tile she had drawn it from, there was no evidence that any stone had been displaced. It was almost like she had created it from thin air.

There was another deafeningly silent pause in which Nina thought she might actually be going into cardiac arrest.

"Yes!" Suddenly, Nina found herself on her back. Olivia had knocked the wind right out of her and the knife in her hand went sliding across the rooftop. "Yes!" Olivia screamed again, lifting off Nina just enough to take her face in her hands and kiss her all over. All Nina could manage to do was screw up her face and take it. Meanwhile, Katerina had started laughing. She was in such disbelief it was all she could do.

"Oh my god," Olivia jumped to her feet just as suddenly as she'd tackled Nina. "This changes everything," She ran her fingers through her short hair, pacing a few feet away from where Nina was pushing herself up on her elbows.

"I have to call my dad. I think we'll have to share a room at the Tower. You could sleep in one of the empty ones I guess, but if someone visits-" She cut herself off, bringing her hand up to her mouth, looking deep in thought.

"What are you talking about?" Nina asked, bewildered.

Olivia rushed back over to her, pulling her up by the hands.

"You have to come with us! You live in Brooklyn, right? That's not far. You can keep going to school. You do go to a local university, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I know you care about your dad, and shit. You can still see him whenever you want. And, fuck it, take Thor's room. He's never around," She kept on talking, but Nina stopped listening.

" _What_? Hey, hey, hey," Nina grabbed the babbling woman's shoulders. For a second she though she was going to have to slap her to get her to stop talking. " _Thor_? What...what the fuck are you talking about?" Her currently very tired brain wasn't putting the pieces together fast enough.

"The Avengers!" Olivia's very enthusiastic answer didn't prove to help much.

"Wait, wait," Nina put her hands on the sides of her head and closed her eyes.

 _Olivia's dad is Tony Stark. Tony Stark is Iron Man. Iron Man is an Avenger. Thor is also an Avenger. Olivia and Katerina have super powers and Avengers connections. She said something about "the Tower". Stark Tower is the Avenger's headquarters, which is in Manhattan…_

"Oh my god," Nina opened her eyes as things fell into place. "You're gonna...you're gonna have to explain this to me," Olivia opened her mouth to talk, but Nina turned away from her.

"You," She pointed to Katerina, who had also stood up by then.

Turns out, unsurprisingly, it was a long story.

Katerina had been born with her abilities. She'd hidden them until the last year or so, loosing control infrequently enough to have kept attention from herself. Olivia, on the other hand, obtained her abilities due to a combination of her own reckless rebellion and her father's seemingly uncontrollable impulse to tinker with things he shouldn't. Tony Stark couldn't well allow his super powered daughter to run around without some kind of understanding of her abilities. So, he did the most obvious thing and locked her up in Stark Tower with multiple super heroes to teach her restraint and control. Katerina, after escaping her unstable uncle, was soon to follow.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I can assure you that, while this may be a slow burn, there will be a lot of angst and side action. I got you, fam.

"Are you trying to tell me you're Avengers?" Nina asked, still exasperated. Actually, that was probably permanent.

"Yes,"

"Super heroes in training,"

Olivia and Katerina spoke at the same time. In the end their answer didn't really matter.

Nina leaned back against the wall, a groan escaping her lips. She felt like she'd just been skydiving and she wasn't sure the adrenaline was ever going to wear off.

"And you want me to..." She trailed off.

"Come with us. Yes," Katerina clarified.

"Yeah, you can be our _Stoner_ ," Olivia nudged Nina with her elbow and laughed at her own joke.

"No, I-"

"Yes! You have to come,"

"I can do more than that," Olivia finally shut up and listened to what Nina had to say. "It's not just stone," She extended her hand to a nearby potted plant, a blossom blooming at her touch.

"Whoa," Olivia leaned in to get a better look at the flower and gently touch a soft petal.

Meanwhile, Nina had scooped up the knife she'd created earlier. Olivia and Kateirna watched as the pressed the blade to her palm, a small hiss of pain escaping past her teeth. Blood welled up and spilled over. Nina dropped the knife again and wiped the blood away with her thumb to reveal undamaged skin below.

"What the fuck! You regenerate?" Olivia asked.

"No, I just heal fast. I don't get sick either. Also, drugs don't usually work on me. Or at least they haven't yet. But that's not the best part, at least in my opinion," Nina said.

"Well, spit it out!" Olivia waved her on.

"I can heal other people too. I can tell if they're sick or if something inside them is broken or damaged just by touching them. I've never tried to heal anything big, just a few small cuts and a broken finger, but...I think I could do it," Her hands shook.

"Oh my god, Steve is going to want to put you in a backpack and send you off with Bucky. This is huge. You don't understand," Nina's face flushed. She wasn't used to attention, let alone people gushing over her. They probably would, she supposed, if anyone but Olivia, Katerina, and her father knew what she was capable of.

"She's right," Katerina cut in. "Doctor Banner is more than efficient, but...you're on an entirely different level. We leave on Tuesday and you need to come with us," She didn't sound like she was asking.

"I...I don't know if I can do that. I mean-" Olivia stopped her before she could continue.

"You live in Brooklyn, right?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Nina confirmed.

"And Manhattan is, like, right down the road, right?"

"Well, figuratively speaking-"

"Then what's the problem!" Olivia threw her arms wide. "Like I said before, you can see your family whenever you want, you can keep going to school. You can even keep doing your gigs if you just want to. I mean, do you just want to pretend you don't have these awesome as fuck powers," Nina had to admit, she was making some pretty good points. The way things were set out, it was almost perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

"No," Nina said. "But isn't this kind of up to your dad...or…Captain America?" She couldn't believe she was even saying it. Like it was a real thing that was happening.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to dad about it. You're in town for a few days right?" Nina nodded. "Good. That should give me enough time," And at that point it was basically settled.

To say there was nothing left to do but sleep would have been a lie, but they were all too exhausted to do anything else. Nina found herself curled up on the couch in Olivia's room, staring at the ceiling while the sun rose. The thoughts running through her head were dizzying and so unrealistic she couldn't keep thinking them. Had she not had such a taxing night there was no way she would have fallen asleep.

Around three o'clock, Nina's phone rang. It was almost through the cycle when she woke up enough to notice.

"Hello?" She said sleepily, rubbing a hand over her face.

"Good morning, sweet heart," Her father chuckled on the other end of the phone.

"Dad? What time is it?" She asked, propping herself up and looking around for a clock. There wasn't one.

"Ah, it's getting close to four, I believe," He told her.

"Shit. I'm sorry. I meant to be back hours ago," She sat up, looking around the room and trying to gather herself. Olivia was still snoring softly. Nina's dress and shoes from the gala were in a pile by the door. She was trying to remember if she'd brought anything else.

"It's okay. I take it you had a good night?" She was about to say she did when the whole Avengers thing came to mind. Her whole body buzzed just at the though.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need to talk to you about something though. It's nothing bad, I think. It's just...kind of crazy," She stood and walked to the full length mirror in the corner of the room. She was an absolute mess. Her hair was in knots and last nights makeup was smeared around her eyes. She looked like a raccoon who had spent the night dumpster diving.

"Okay," He sounded more than a little worried.

"Um, I'm gonna head out of here. Do you think you could call me an Uber or something? I don't have any money and everyone is asleep. I think," She said, looking over her shoulder at Olivia. She couldn't imagine Katerina being any less dead to the world.

"Yeah. Where are you?" She realized at that point she only kind of knew the answer to that.

"Well, I'm at Mr. Stark's penthouse. I don't know where exactly that is, but I'm guessing it's not hard to find," Nina walked over to Olivia and held the phone away from her mouth.

"Olivia," She whispered, shaking her shoulder. When that didn't work she shook harder. "Olivia," She didn't even flinch. Nina actually stopped to make sure she was breathing.

"I'm kind of on my own here," Nina said. "I'm going to try to get my stuff together. Let me know if you have any trouble. We'll figure something out," She slipped on the sneakers Olivia had let her borrow the night before and tried not to think about how expensive they probably were.

Nina and Frank said their goodbyes and Nina slipped into Olivia's bathroom. She twisted her hair into a bun and did what she could to remedy the makeup disaster that was her face. Once she determined things were as good as they were going to get, she picked up the few things she'd brought with her and slipped out of the room. She had no idea where Katerina's room was and wasn't too comfortable with the idea of poking around Mr. Stark's house.

She tiptoed down the hall, afraid to disturb anything. The easy escape she'd had planned was halted when she came face to face with Tony Stark as she passed the kitchen.

"Mr. Stark," She squeaked. For some reason, she felt like she was in trouble.

"Mysterious girl in my daughter's clothes," He greeted her as he took a sip from his coffee cup.

"Um, I'm Nina Wesley. I came back with Olivia and Katerina after the gala last night," She explained, only for him to continue staring at her blankly. "Well, um, I was just leaving. Thank you for letting me stay here. Even though, I guess, you didn't really know..."


	10. Chapter 10

Tony groaned and set down his coffee. He walked around the counter and grabbed Nina's shoulder. "Just stop," She shut her mouth. "How much trouble did you get in?" He looked like he was ready for the worst.

"None really," He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, we did some things that were probably stupid but-"

"No one got arrested," She couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement.

"No," She said.

"Hm, okay," He patted Nina's head and went back to his coffee. "I'll call the town car around front. Just tell him where you want to go," He started leafing through a magazine that lie open on the counter.

"Thank you," Nina paused, feeling kind of awkward about the whole situation. "Have a good day, Mr. Stark," She called over her shoulder as she made a break for the door. His only response was a wave in her direction.

On the way out of the house Nina called her father back and told him to cancel whatever he'd managed to get a hold of. Half an hour later she was getting out of the sleek, black town car and practically running into the hotel they were staying at. As much as she wanted to spill it all immediately, she needed a shower more. She took her time, enjoying the hot water and letting it relax the muscles in her shoulders, which had been tense the whole ride over. It was too short a time before it was time for the talk.

"So, what crazy thing do you need to tell me that we have to be in private for?" Needless to say, Frank was a little put off by the whole situation. Even though she'd told him it wasn't bad, he felt like it was.

"Okay," Nina took a deep breath. "So, ah, turns out Olivia and Katerina have been training with the Avengers. Katerina has fire powers and Olivia has something going on with metal and electricity. They showed me theirs so...I showed them mine," She spoke quickly and stopped very abruptly.

"Uh-huh," At this point, Frank was pretty sure he knew where this was going.

"They want me to come with them," To Nina, asking permission to join the Avengers felt just like asking to stay the night at a friends house when she _knew_ her dad would say no.

"Well," The way he said it, she knew he wasn't going to say no. "You're an adult. I can't stop you from doing anything. Did you talk to Mr. Stark about it?" He asked.

"No. Olivia said she would, but they seem to think I would be useful," She let out a breath, heart fluttering. "I feel like I'm going to explode. Like, I still can't believe any of this is even real," It really was starting to feel like she'd fallen into another dimension.

"I always had a feeling something like this would happen," Frank spoke softly, a sad smile on his face. People as extraordinary as Nina weren't journalists or nurses. He knew that someday someone important would learn of what she could do and things would never be the same. If he were going to entrust her safety with anyone, it was going to be the Avengers.

Nina and Frank enjoyed themselves for the next two days traveling around Malibu, shopping, and beach hopping. It had been a long time since he'd had a chance to spend this kind of time with her. Regardless of the fun they were having, Nina's future was constantly weighing on their minds. Frank was proud but afraid. Nina was excited and terrified. They though about it every hour of the day.

Eventually, Frank flew home without her, glad enough to know she would be following him soon enough. They both had to constantly reassure themselves that Brooklyn was only a hop, skip, and a jump from the Tower. The day before Nina, Olivia, Katerina, and Mr. Stark headed to New York was busy and unpredictable enough for Nina not to worry over it too much. But, before she knew it they were all on a private jet.

"You know, I was serious about what I said about Steve," Nina looked away from the clouds passing under them and met Olivia's gaze. She was sitting across from Nina, sipping some alcoholic beverage. Katerina was next to her, legs crossed, trying to read. That was about to become all but impossible.


	11. Chapter 11

"I guarantee the first person's abs you get to touch are going to be Bucky's. You're about to turn into the Captain America First Aide Kit," She was nonchalant, but the thought was driving Nina insane.

"Stop. I can't even think about it. I'm not used to touching people, okay? This is going to be _really_ awkward," Nina had given it a lot of thought over the past few days. While she was learning the extent of her healing abilities there were going to be a lot of cuts and broken bones she was going to have to work with. And most of those cuts and broken bones were going to be attached to attractive men.

"Well, don't complain about it. You're gonna have hot guys taking their clothes off for you left and right. _I_ have to beg and, so far, that's not getting me anywhere," Nina covered her face as Olivia kept talking.

"That's because you make them feel awkward," Katerina commented.

"Oh, I'm sorry my flirting is _so_ awkward," Olivia rolled her eyes.

"In general, it isn't. What makes it awkward is that you're father is almost always around and Steve obviously isn't interested. In fact, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even like you at all," Katerina didn't even look away from her book.

"That's because he has a stick up his ass. Or Bucky's dick. It's hard to tell sometimes," Katerina shook her head and Nina reached for the nearest bottle of whiskey.

"Look at what you're doing to my liver," Nina said as she poured herself a glass. "It's only been three days and I'm pretty sure I've drank enough to kill an elephant," She was actually serious, but Olivia thought it was funny. There was a short pause before she spoke again.

"He'll probably _love_ you. Being all sweet and innocent and all," Olivia grumbled.

"I'm not _that_ innocent," Nina insisted.

"Oh please, you barely jay walk," Olivia retorted.

"I got a tattoo with you in some back alley parlor full of illegal drugs and gambling," Nina pointed out.

"Everyone does that," Olivia insisted. Nina gave her a look, making Olivia roll her eyes. "Okay, so maybe that was pretty badass. You're welcome. But what else have you done other than get drunk?" Nina was starting to feel like this was a challenge and it was one she was sure to lose. When Nina shrugged Olivia started going on with a list.

"Snuck out? Shop lifted? Tried heroine?" Nina scoffed.

"No, I'm not _insane_. I mean, I've snuck out a few times, but I didn't really do anything stupid while I was at it," It was easier to put it that way than to tell Olivia the only reason she had been sneaking out was to get take-out or read a book in a twenty-four hour cafe.

"Have you even-I bet you're a virgin," Olivia leaned forward and pointed an accusing finger at Nina.

"I am not," Nina rolled her eyes.

"I don't believe you," Olivia crossed her arms. "You and Steve were practically meant for each other. You know what, I'll back off. I'm shipping this. Katerina?" Katerina only smile and shook her head again, eyes still trailing on her book.

Nina groaned and emptied her glass. It only helped a little and it wouldn't last long.

"He _will_ like you," Katerina chimed. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that. You're a nice girl, Nina. You'll do as your told and you wont cause trouble. Everyone is going to like you," Nina had a feeling she meant to be reassuring, but she was almost a little offended. However, she wasn't wrong. Nina had always been one to stay inside the lines.

For the rest of the flight, Katerina read and Nina tried to ignore Olivia, who suddenly wouldn't stop talking about her sexual fantasies. Making people uncomfortable was a specialty of hers. Sometimes she did it without even trying, but most of the time it was a game for her.

As the plane began lowering it's altitude, Mr. Stark walked into the girl's cabin.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Obvious Cap angst because I cannot fucking control myself right now.

"Olivia, I expect you to be on your best behavior. And leave Cap alone, would you? The man is in his eighties. He can't handle it," Nina bit her lip to keep the smile off her face.

"You," He pointed at Katerina. "Lay off the candy," Katerina's jaw tightened and the space they were in suddenly seemed hotter and more claustrophobic.

"New kid," Nina perked up. "Stick with the adults,"

"We're _all_ adults, dad," Olivia reminded him.

"The _real_ adults," Tony clarified. He gave the girls a tight smile before leaving the cabin.

The jet landed on top of the Tower only a few minutes later and the four of them made their way into the building. Regardless of how much she'd been thinking about it, Nina didn't feel at all prepared for this moment. She followed at the back, focusing mostly on keeping her heart rate under control. All that hard work was undone the second they walked into the main Avengers living quarters.

The scene was a relaxed one. Steve and Bucky were on the couch watching a documentary and Wanda and Pietro were at the kitchen island eating lunch.

"Welcome back," Steve turned to greet Tony, forgetting he was bringing anyone new with him until he saw her. Nina didn't know where to look. Her feet were the preferred option at this point, but that wasn't very professional.

Olivia and Katerina wandered off talk with Wanda and Pietro, leaving Nina alone with Tony when Steve reached them.

"Hi," Just looking at his eyes was enough to make Nina want to fall over and his smile didn't do anything to stabilize her. "I'm Steve Rodgers," He held his hand out to her. Luckily, despite completely falling apart inside, Nina managed to act like a functioning human being.

"Nina Wesley" She smiled at him and took his hand. His grip was firm and strong, whereas hers was gentle and lacked conviction. Steve had only just met her and already he was worried for her safety.

"It's good to meet you. Tony tells me you're a healer," Nina withdrew her hand and clutched it in her other, fiddling nervously.

"Yes," She nodded.

"That's good. You could be a great asset to the team," Nina was about to respond before being interrupted by Olivia from across the room.

"Or just a great ass, am I right?" She called, eyebrows wriggling. It was safe to say by now that she would flirt with anything that breathed.

Steve threw her a disapproving look over his shoulder and Olivia shrugged.

"I'm just sayin', Cap," She popped something into her mouth, never breaking eye contact with him. Tony sighed heavily and took this awkward moment as his chance to leave.

"I'm sorry. She..." Nina tried to make an excuse for Olivia being obnoxious, but there really wasn't one.

"I know," Steve turned his attention back to her, giving her a half smile.

"So, I'm told the girls stumbled across you at a gala," He was quick to move on and relieve any awkwardness.

"Yeah," Nina answered, also relieved. "It's been a long couple of days. I was expecting to be back home wasting my summer by now," Until a few days ago Nina's plan for the summer had been to catch up on reading, take a lot of naps, and make as much money as possible while she had time. She was pretty sure none of those things were going to happen.

"Where's home?" Steve asked.

Nina smiled, knowingly. "Brooklyn,"

Steve went on to ask her about her family and her schooling. They were easy questions, which she gladly answered. She was just starting to feel comfortable when Olivia came over to ruin it.

"Boring," Olivia sang as she grabbed Nina's arm and started pulling her away. "Come hang out with the cool kids," Nina gave Steve an apologetic look. He looked like he understood.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wanda, Pietro, this is Nina. My new best friend," Olivia announced.

"Free at last," Katerina said dramatically.

"It's good to meet you," Wanda and Nina shook hands.

"You too," Meeting people always seemed awkward to Nina. She never quite knew what to do with her face and it would ultimately hurt from smiling so much.

Steve watched from across the room as Nina found herself crowded. She reminded him of a baby bird with her huge eyes and waif-like form. Her mouth twitched and her long, elegant fingers worried the hymn of her shirt. Despite all this, she had managed to get herself wrapped up with the two most dangerous young women he had ever known. He couldn't help but worry about what that could mean for her.

"Do you think she can handle it?" Bucky asked, drawing his attention away from Nina.

"I don't know," His eyes flickered up to the TV. "She can't get too close to them," His tone was grave.

"It might be too late," Bucky commented. The girl was young, naive, easily influenced. She would follow whatever leaders were around her and, more importantly, she would follow the ones she knew.

"We'll see," Steve wasn't going to give up before he started, but Bucky was right. He had to act fast.

There were no plans for the day other than to relax and for Nina to get to know everyone. Wanda had done a good job making sure she was comfortable. It became clear pretty quickly that she was much more Nina's speed than Olivia or Katerina were. She felt like she could let her guard down around her.

Pietro was another thing entirely. He was just as full of energy as Olivia and just as suave as Katerina. Every time she happened to make eye contact with him he winked at her. She could handle Olivia's constant teasing, but being endlessly undressed by someone's eyes was a little unnerving.

Before the day was over Vision had joined them and he was very curious to learn about their new companion. Once the two of them started talking everyone else became invisible. They talked about science, literature, and history. Things that quickly lost appeal for everyone else, but Vision and Nina could talk about for an eternity. They almost would have had they not been interrupted by dinner.

After dinner and a bit more leisure time Katerina led Nina to the room she would be staying in.

"Turns out you will actually be staying in Thor's room," Katerina smile and pushed the door open. When she flicked the light on her smile fell to a frown and she sighed. Whenever the God of Thunder had last stayed there he hadn't quite kept things tidy. The bed was unmade and clearly hadn't been washed since his last visit.

"I can find you another room if you want," Katerina offered.

"No, that's okay. We can deal with it tomorrow. Besides, I could really use a good nights sleep," Nina dismissed, stepping into the room.

"Alright, well, you've got your own bathroom and Bucky is right next door if you need anything. Can't promise he'll be much help though," Nina really hoped she didn't need anything. The Winter Soldier was about as approachable as she'd expected.

Katerina and Nina said good night and closing herself up in a room had never felt so good. She hadn't really been alone since the day before flying to Malibu and Nina was the kind of person who required alone time. Her single bag had been brought into the room at some point. She would have to make a run home to get more of her things sometime soon.

Nina changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, the warm light of the bedside table lamp illuminating the large room. She propped herself on the pillows and dialed her father's number into her cell phone. It was late, but she knew he would pick up.


	14. Chapter 14

"I was wondering if you were going to call," Frank said when he picked up.

"Sorry. Another long day," She said with a sigh. "Everything went well, I think. I didn't really do anything today but meet people," And thank god for that. She wasn't kidding about needing some sleep. She was running on very little of it thanks to Olivia.

"Who did you meet? Were all the Avengers there?" Frank asked. The words felt weird to him.

"No, not everyone. I met Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision. Vision is nice. I like him," Nina pulled the covers up around her and hunkered down against the pillows, letting out a big yawn.

"Captain America. That's unbelievable," Nina agreed.

"I'm in Thor's bed right now. Which I realize is an awkward thing to say," Frank laughed at that.

"Hey, as long as he isn't in it with you," Nina smiled.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's on another planet or something," It was obvious from her voice how tired she was so her father didn't keep her on the phone for long. She promised to call the next day, hopefully not so late, and that she would be by soon to pick up a few things.

After hanging up, Nina curled up on her side, burring her face in a fluffy pillow and pulling the comforter up to her ears. If she closed her eyes it felt like she was drifting on a cloud. A cloud that smelled like a god.

It felt like Nina had just closed her eyes and someone was shaking her awake. Groaning, she pulled the covers over her face and turned away. It could have been Captain America for all she cared.

"Yeah, you and me both, but if you don't get out of bed Steve will literally carry you out of the house," Nina pushed the blanket off her face, glaring up at the ceiling with the most pitiful pout Olivia had ever seen. She turned her head, groaning even louder at seeing the sun wasn't even up yet.

"He _is_ insane. You're right," Olivia clapped her hands and turned on her heels. "Come on. Up and at-em," Nina sat up, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"Wait, what am I supposed to wear?" Nina had only packed pajamas and nice clothes for the trip to Malibu and something told her that wasn't going to be appropriate for what she suspected to be boot camp.

"Right. Go ahead and get in the shower. I'll bring you some of my clothes here in a minute," Olivia said, never turning to look at Nina, just walking right back out the door.

With a huff, Nina forced herself to get up. She let out a big yawn as she stretched her arms high over her head and raised up on her toes. Her arms swung back down to her sides and she meandered into the attached bathroom to get ready. She brushed her teeth and then slipped into the shower, accidentally blasting herself with ice cold water, which was a good wake up call.

She washed up quickly, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel that felt like it had never been used. She tiptoed out of the bathroom, steam escaping behind her. Olivia had left some athletic pants, a tank top and a pair of running shoes on her bed. It was a good thing they were the same size. Otherwise, who knows, she might have gotten out of the hell that awaited her.

Nina got dressed and walked out of the room, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she went. It took a moment to remember how to get down to the next floor where the kitchen and living area were. Steve, Olivia, and Katerina were already there.

"Good morning," Steve smiled at her over a pan of scrambled eggs.

"Good morning," She echoed, smiling brightly back. It seemed like every time she woke up she was pretty sure she was dreaming. In this case, after finding Captain America in the kitchen making breakfast, she was pretty sure she had actually died and gone to heaven.

"Is this turkey bacon?" Olivia complained, waving around a flimsy piece of meat.

"Yes. It's good for you," Steve said as he turned around and scraped some eggs onto her plate.

"It's disgusting," Despite that, Olivia took another bite.

Nina sat down next to Katerina, graciously receiving her breakfast and not complaining one bit about the turkey bacon. They all took their time eating and then followed Steve like a gaggle of ducklings out of the Tower. The next thing Nina knew she was running. Or rather jogging really. Either way, that alone was more physical activity than she was used to. She managed to keep it up for longer than she expected to, but she stopped to breathe long before anyone else.


	15. Chapter 15

"Good job, Nina. Catch your breath and keep it up. Twenty laps to go," Nina stood, chest heaving, mouth agape, staring after Steve. She looked like a kicked puppy and felt like one that had been run over by a car.

After catching her breath, Nina took off again, this time playing with her pace a little. She was trying to get into that sweet spot between too fast and too slow. Instead of slowing to a walk when she started to lose her breath, she would slow to what was sure to look like a pitiful jog. Pouring sweat, barely upright, shins splintering, side in a stitch, Nina finally completed all twenty five laps. Steve, Olivia, and Katerina had been lounging in the grass for a good while now and Nina all but collapsed next to them. She made no qualms about sprawling out on her stomach, pressing her cheek to the cool, prickly grass.

"Alright, who's ready for twenty five more!" Olivia cheered, granting a long, dramatic groan from Nina.

"How about a good cry? Can we do that?" She asked between gasps of air.

"You did good, kid," Steve assured her, patting her shoulder.

After a few minutes she had no choice but to get up and follow the Captain into another battle she was sure her body would barely be capable of handling. Nina soon found herself standing in a gym within the Tower, staring at a bunch of black weights, gleaming metal, and worn leather. She wasn't sure if Steve had taken the time to look at her arms, but she hoped he, at some point, took into consideration the fact that she couldn't lift more than sixty pounds and that was pushing it.

Turns out 'pushing it' was exactly what the good Captain had in mind for Nina. For the next two hours she pushed, pulled, and lifted the maximum amount of weight she could handle. Handle translating to, able to move with relative ease once. _Once_. It wasn't until she almost beheaded herself with a barbell that Steve decide enough was enough.

She couldn't help but look at him in disbelief when he handed her a jump rope. "But," She began, almost as afraid to talk back to Steve as she was to let her feet leave the ground. "We already did cardio," The look on his face told her the misery on hers was pleasurable to him.

"And now we're doing more," That supportive smile never did leave his face.

Given that the gym was free range for all Avengers, the four of them weren't the only ones present. At the far end of the room, Nina caught sight of Bucky. He had stopped just long enough to get a drink and witness Nina's emotional undoing. He was smiling, barely restraining laughter.

Nina never really had any choice but to give up. While she was jumping rope she recalled how much she used to love it as a child. She could have jumped rope for days and she could do it all. Forward, backward, criss cross, double dutch. Hell, throw an extra person in and she could do that too. But it had been a while and it showed. Jumping rope wasn't like she remembered and she envied her younger self.

Following round two of cardio was, well, basically anything you could do lying on a gym mat. Push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, crunches, and a whole menagerie of things of things Nina had never heard of, let alone thought her body was capable of doing. By the time it was done she was lying on her back watching the ceiling spin and trying to remember what it felt like to not be in pain.

"Alright, break for lunch," Steve finally announced. Nina thought she was going to cry. "Except you, Nina," Her head flopped back down on the mat and rolled to the side.

Steve helped her up and then called Bucky over, which made her suspicious. Was she in trouble? Did she not do well enough?

"When the girls get back I'm going to have them training with Wanda and Vision. I might be the guy for physical strength, but I can't do anything to hone their other abilities. You'll be training with them, but I wanted to talk to you about your healing abilities first," Nina nodded. Thank got she wasn't going to have to lift anything.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** And this is when I looked at my plan and said "Fuck it".

"What do you know about them?" Steve asked.

"Not enough, I'm sure. I've never really used them on the caliber that's going to be needed around here. I know I can heal cuts and broken bones, but up until now I've only ever healed small ones. My own injuries heal fast. Instantly if they're small enough. Um," She thought for a minute about which direction she should go in. "I don't get sick. I don't remember ever being sick. I can sense it in other people though. It almost feels like an entity in itself. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was young. Every time I touched her I could feel her dying. I couldn't do anything. At least, I don't _think_ I could have," Nina ran her hands up her arms.

"I'm immune to drugs, for the most part. I know for a fact pain killers and anesthesia don't work at all. At least not in legal or non-fatal doses. Alcohol works if I drink enough of it, and enough is a lot. I'm guessing elephant tranquilizers would probably take me down, but anything less than than, I'm not sure," She shrugged, like what she was saying wasn't insane. To her, it was the most sane part of all this.

"Were you born with these abilities, or did you-" Steve cut himself off. If he listed all the ways she could have gotten her powers they'd be there all day.

Nina laughed a little.

"It's kind of ridiculous actually. I was at a park when I was four. I tripped, scraped my knee, and this woman helped me up. She put her hand on my knee and suddenly the cut was gone. It didn't even hurt anymore. She asked me if I wanted to be magic too, and of course I said yes. She kissed my forehead, I closed my eyes, and when I opened them she was gone. And that was that," Steve and Bucky looked at each other. It absolutely _did_ sound ridiculous. In fact, Bucky was almost certain she was lying.

"Do you think you could give us a demonstration?" Steve asked.

"Sure," Nina nodded and Steve, in turn, nodded at Bucky, who lifted his shirt to reveal a massive, black bruise on his side. Nina sucked a breath in through her teeth, eyebrows drawing together. Her hand reached towards it without her telling it to.

Nina took a step closer to Bucky, just barely able to cover the bruise with her hand. She closed her eyes and focused. She could feel all the broken blood vessels and the two shattered ribs underneath. Her energy seeped into his body though the palm of her hand, immediately getting to work repairing the damage.

That was as far as her healing abilities had ever gone, so it was surprising when her minds eye started wandering. She wasn't sure where it went or why it went there, but all of the sudden she was confronted with all this damage. It reminded her of the cancer she had felt within her mother, but she knew it wasn't the same. It was overpowering and debilitating nonetheless. He was so _broken._ And she couldn't fix it, which made viewing it all the more painful.

Steve and Bucky watched as Nina closed her eyes. Her face was serene and she was utterly still. Bucky could feel the pain in his side lessening. Whatever she was doing it was working. He was surprised when she took a half step forward, her face all but pressed against his chest. He could feel her breath though his shirt as it quickened. Thinking she was about to pass out or fall over, he lifted his metal arm, keeping it near her side, ready to catch her. Bucky looked up at Steve in alarm as she started trembling. Whatever she was doing it was clear at this point that it was more than she could handle.

Steve got the message and touched Nina's shoulder, ready to pull her away.

"No!" She snapped, her voice so full of emotion Steve jumped back in surprise. She pressed closer to Bucky, her other handing coming up to rest on his stomach. Steve and Bucky looked at each other again, their eyes a little wider than before.

Nina was entirely lost until she could no longer feel the damage that was directly under her hand. After assuring herself that the bones had healed themselves neatly she began coming out of her trance-like state. She had never been so deep, so coming out was staggering. It felt like waking up from a dream and she went to take a step away, surprised to find both of her hands falling away from Bucky.


	17. Chapter 17

Bucky's hands were suddenly on Nina's shoulders, guiding her to a work bench. She steadied herself with a hand on his metal arm, blinking hard as she fought off dizziness.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, sounding far more concerned than she thought he should have been.

"Yeah," She reached up a hand to her face intending to rub her eyes, but pulling it away when she found her face wet.

"Are you sure? You're crying," Nina wiped her face, looking up at Steve and Bucky, eyes full of confusion.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We were hoping you would tell us," Steve handed her a bottle of water.

"Well...it was weird," She unscrewed the cap and took a quick sip. "I found the wound. I started healing it. And then I just kept going. That's never happened before. I don't know why it happened now. Maybe because it took longer to heal and I had more time," She trailed off, squinting at nothing as she tried to put the pieces together.

"What do you mean you kept going?" Steve asked.

"I," She paused, looking up at Bucky. "I think," She stopped herself again.

"Do you mind if I talk to him alone?" She asked Steve. She had a good feeling she knew what happened and it felt like a more...private conversation.

Steve, now looking even more confused, glanced at Bucky.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll go ahead and get lunch. Come upstairs when you're done. You need to refuel," He insisted as he straightened up.

"Okay," Nina agreed distantly with a nod.

She waited until she and Bucky were alone in the room to look at him.

"I'm sorry," She said with a sigh. "I think I saw some things I shouldn't have. Nothing specific, just...damage," He sat down on the bench across from her.

"What kind of damage?" He asked.

"Psychological, I guess," She shrugged. "I know as much as the rest of the public about what HYDRA did to you. I know they controlled you. Erased who you were. There was _so much_. I could _feel_ it," She started shaking again.

"It isn't like cancer. It's not some dark, enigmatic thing," Fresh tears slipped from her eyes and she was quick to wipe them away. She didn't know how to explain it to him. It was like watching someone drown. Someone you could easily save, except you can't move.

"I'm so sorry," She bit down hard on her bottom lip, fighting the sob that was building up in her chest.

"It wasn't your fault," He assured her, his voice soft and distant.

Nina shook her head. She wanted to say that didn't matter. That it didn't excuse her inability to do something about the damage she witnessed. But if she had opened her mouth all that would have come out was a sob, and that wasn't going to help anything.

The two of them sat there for several minutes, Nina trying to compose herself and Bucky feeling more exposed than he had in a very long time. Not only that, but he knew well the darkness in his mind and he felt horrible for having let someone touch it. It was never meant to be a curse on anyone but himself.

"I'm sorry, again," Nina said when she was finally able to speak.

"I should go catch up. I'm pretty sure Steve isn't done with me yet," She forced a smile as she stood. Bucky smiled back. She stood there for a minute, unsure of what to say. She settled on saying nothing and walked off to the stairwell.

Once inside she realized she hadn't actually composed herself all that well. She covered her mouth with her hand and by then it was too late. Tears were streaming from her eyes and she had to hold her breath to keep from hiccuping. She was falling apart and she didn't have a safe place to hide. She kept walking, making her way through the Tower with blurry eyes.


	18. Chapter 18

Apparently, on his way to the kitchen Steve had been stopped by Tony, who was holding a conversation with him in the middle of the hallway. He didn't stop talking until Nina wandered around the corner.

"It's day one, Cap. You were supposed to take it easy on her," Tony said. She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or scolding Steve. Either way, they were both a little embarrassed. Tony, wanting no part of a sobbing young woman, turned and finally walked away.

Steve took a few quick steps forward and pulled Nina to him. She wrapped her shaking arms around him, her fingers knotting into his t-shirt as she sobbed into his chest. He cradled the back of her head and hushed her, whispering in her ear that everything was okay even though he was pretty unsure of what the problem was. Once she calmed down enough he pulled back and took her face in his hands.

"Why don't we go somewhere and talk," He suggested, his thumb wiping away the tears that unstuck themselves from her lashes when she blinked. She nodded.

Steve led her upstairs and to the room she was currently staying in, his hand never leaving the small of her back. She felt a little better. Small and ten times as tired, but better. She perched herself on the edge of her bed and Steve pulled up a chair.

"What happened down there?" Steve asked, enclosing one of her hands in his.

"I think I just saw the result of what HYDRA did to Bucky," Her voice was horse and weak.

Steve stared at her, taken aback.

"What do you-"

"The damage, psychologically. I didn't mean to go that far. I-" Her breath hitched and her lip trembled.

Steve got up from the chair and sat next to her, pulling her to his side.

"I could feel it. All of it. Everything he felt all at once," Steve held her tighter.

This information was disturbing. Steve knew more than anyone what Bucky had gone through, all the things he had lost and how much of it was never coming back. It was a lot to take in for someone who had known Bucky his whole life and even lived through some of his undoing. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like to experience that all at once.

"You should take the rest of the day for yourself," Steve told her after her sobs had settled into shuddering breaths. He felt her shake her head against his shoulder.

"No. No, I'm okay," She pulled away from him, suddenly realizing what she was doing.

"I'm sorry. This is embarrassing," She grumbled as she wiped the tears off her face. Or tried to, at least.

"Don't be sorry. You have a lot to learn and it's not going to be easy. I'm here to help you through it. Everyone is," He assured her, tilting his head to see her face.

Nina chuckled.

"In that case, I hope no one wears shirts they like while I'm around," She gestured to his chest, the fabric still wrinkled from where she'd had it in her fist. Steve smiled, glad to see her cheer up a little.

"Come on. You still need to eat," Steve stood up and offered her a hand. She took it, suddenly not so opposed to touching him. It was amazing what having an emotional meltdown in front of someone could do for a relationship.

While Steve and Nina walked to the kitchen she could only think about one thing. Olivia was about to give them so much hell.

"Hey, it's about time. You-" Olivia was no doubt about to say something snarky and sexual in nature, but she stopped the second she saw Nina's red cheeks and swollen eyes.

"Um, what the fuck, Rodgers?" Olivia hopped up from her stool and stomped over to them, pulling Nina away by the arm and putting herself between her and Steve. "What the hell did you do? It's her _first day!"_ The air around them crackled, her hair actually raising a little from the static.


	19. Chapter 19

"Olivia, calm down," Steve said, his hands up in defense.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Olivia released Nina's arm, taking one big step forward and shoving Steve's chest. There was a sharp popping noise as Olivia succeeded and shocking the hell out of him.

"I didn't do anything," Steve said slowly, his hands still up. He might have been a super soldier, but he wasn't immune to electrocution.

It was about that time Bucky chose to enter the room. He stopped immediately, realizing he should have just stayed in the gym. Steve's eyes slid over to him, communicating the level of danger in the room.

Olivia spun around to scan Nina's face and wasn't happy with what she saw. The poor girl was looking at Bucky too, and she could see the hurt in her eyes. A perceived notion was all it took for Olivia to change directions.

"You?" Olivia laughed darkly, turning to face the brooding soldier. "Oh, I've just been _waiting_ for someone to give me a fucking reason," She spoke through her teeth as she squared up on him.

"Olivia-" Nina started.

"What'd he fuckin' do, sweetheart? I will end him right now," Olivia, as hard as she was trying, wasn't doing much to comfort her.

" _Nothing_. You need to listen. No one did anything to me," Nina crept one step closer before deciding it was a bad idea. The electricity in the air immediately had the hair on her arms standing on end.

"He didn't hurt me. Steve didn't hurt me. Something weird happened with my powers. That's all," Nina grew a little more frantic when she realized Bucky had a conduit for an arm.

"I don't believe you," Olivia said, her voice quieter and deeper than before.

Before Nina could say anything else, Steve moved and Olivia was on the floor. He tried to pick up her now unconscious body, but was initially deterred by a shock. The second time was the charm. When he lifted her up he made eye contact with Nina.

"I'm calling it for the day," His face was stern, his voice hard. She felt like she was in trouble and couldn't help feeling like an idiot. It hadn't taken her long to make a mess of things.

She put her face in her hands and sighed heavily. All of the sudden, she wasn't even hungry anymore. Just uncomfortable and tired. Without a second thought, she slipped past Bucky and escaped back to her room where she showered and then slept until it was time for dinner.

Needless to say, dinner wasn't much more pleasant. Everyone kind of went their own way, breaking up into groups and Nina wasn't sure which disaster she wanted to choose. Sitting with Steve an Bucky would probably be be silent and awkward. Olivia would probably yell at her for the whole meal. Starving was starting to sound like a good option.

After eating dinner as fast as she could and fielding questions from Olivia, she disappeared into her room again. This time she locked the door.

"Hey, how did things go today?" Frank asked upon answering his daughter's phone call.

"Oh my god, dad. I overstepped _so_ hard," Nina groaned into her pillow. She didn't even have her eyes open. It was easier to pretend she wasn't there that way.

"What do you mean?" She could hear the concern in his voice.

"Apparently, if I heal a wound larger than your index finger my brain goes "Oh hey, what's all this other stuff," and just goes on and does whatever it wants," She flailed her arm about for emphasis even though neither of them could see it.

"I still don't understand," Frank said, reluctantly. Whatever happened she as upset about it and he wasn't sure he was going to be able to help.

"I," Nina took a deep breath. To be honest, until now she hadn't thought much about the process of what happened. "Bucky had a few broken ribs and Steve wanted me to heal them as a demonstration or whatever. There was a lot of bruising so I could feel all that first. There were two broken ribs below that and I didn't have as much trouble as I thought healing them. It was automatic, which is great," She left it hanging, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling.


	20. Chapter 20

"But?" Frank prompted.

"But I kept going. While that healed I started, I don't know, searching for more damage, I guess. And I found it. Nothing I could do about it though," She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. "At first it reminded me of mom's cancer. Like...it was more of a feeling. It wasn't palpable. I couldn't _touch_ it in order to heal it. It was just fucking staring me in the face," Nina gritted her teeth together, becoming now more angry than horrified.

"Somehow I managed to get into his brain and, it's just so...so bad up there, dad. I feel awful. I feel awful that I looked, that I felt it, that I couldn't do anything,"She had never felt so utterly worthless in her life and that was only magnified by the knowledge that she needed now more than ever to prove herself.

"I didn't know you could do that," Frank trailed off, trying to process what his daughter had just told him.

"Me either. Hell of a trial run, I'd say," Just like Steve had, her father told her there was nothing she could have done and she did her best given the circumstances. It wasn't good enough for her, but did put an end to the conversation. For a while they went on to talk about other, more mundane things, like her approaching birthday and what she was going to need to pick up from the house.

Just like the previous night, Nina felt like she'd barely closed her eyes when someone was trying to wake her up. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and glanced out the window. To her surprise it wasn't just a little dark outside. It was completely dark. Curious and a little worried, Nina got out of bed and unlocked her door.

"Can I sleep with you?" Olivia was standing in her doorway, a blanket hanging over her arms, hair sticking up in all directions.

"Fine," Nina agreed after a minute of contemplation. She was too tired to stay mad.

The two girls crawled into bed, facing each other.

"So, how much did you want to make out with Cap today?" Olivia asked after they got comfortable. Her eyes were droopy and tired, her smile no less sinister than usual.

"Ah, only a little," Nina smiled back and shrugged. She wasn't sure if it was just the intimidation factor or what, but every time he looked at her with those sky blue eyes she felt like she was going to pass out.

"You sure?" Olivia asked. "'Cause Kat and I are making bets and I take that shit seriously," Nina snorted and rolled her eyes.

"If your putting money on me sleeping with Captain America you can forget it," Of all things, that was probably the most unlikely thing that could happen to her. She was more likely to win the lottery.

"I told you yesterday. It's meant to be," Olivia insisted.

"What's Kat's bet?" Nina asked. She wasn't used to being the center of attention and she had to admit it was at least entertaining.

"Kat's bet is boring," Olivia waved the thought away. "She thinks you're just gonna be friendly with everyone and useful and shit," Nina barked out a laugh.

"Oh, how terrible," She pulled the comforter tighter around her and snuggled deeper into the bed.

"Now, Wanda's bet. Wanda's bet is where things get interesting," Olivia said, waving a finger and quirking an eyebrow. "Wanda thinks you and Bucky are totally gonna have a thing before long. And, I was thinking about it and, like, opposites attract," Nina rolled her eyes again.

Olivia held her hands up and raised one like a scale. "Dark, mysterious, and brooding. Sweet, innocent, and sensitive. I mean, I can see it now. You touching him to tend to his wounds and him just _melting_ ," She said dramatically, pressing her hand hard against Nina's shoulder.


	21. Chapter 21

"Stop it. Come on," Nina laughed and pushed Olivia's hand away. "When was the last time you got laid? You're driving me crazy," Olivia laughed at first, but ultimately groaned.

"It's been a while. My boyfriend's in Iraq," She admitted, which Nina found surprising.

"Oh. I didn't know you had a boyfriend," Nina said, following the tone of seriousness Olivia had adopted.

"Yeah. His name's Erik. He kills people for fun," Olivia cracked a smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Nina responded.

There was a long pause where both girls were lost in their thoughts.

Olivia thought about Erik. It had been a year and a half since she saw him last. They almost never had contact with each other. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she missed him and was very insecure about the strength of their relationship. She would kill for him. That much was certain. She just wasn't so sure he would do the same for her.

Nina was dragged into thoughts of Wanda's prediction, wondering how she came to such a conclusion in the first place. There was definitely no merit behind it. First of all, even if you didn't consider the fact Bucky and Steve were technically elderly people, they were both easily about six years older than her _before_ their lives took a turn. She felt like a child and was sure she looked like one to them. Especially after, you know, crying all over the place.

Nina let out a frustrated breath.

"He's right next door, you know," Olivia said, gesturing to the wall Nina and Bucky's rooms shared. "You could just go crawl in bed with him. I'm sure he wouldn't strangle you or anything. Unless you're into that," Nina reached her hand out covering Olivia's face and pushing her head away, shushing her dramatically.

"Go to sleep. I'm too tired for your mouth," She was starting to get a little loopy. Despite her long nap a while ago, she was still absolutely run down from the day's events.

"But not his though," Olivia sang, but ultimately did turn over and settle in. It took less than five minutes for both of them to be asleep.

When Katerina found them in the morning they were both on their backs, snoring, with their arms thrown over each other. She almost hated to wake them up, especially without getting a picture first. Olivia and Nina got ready, rushing to catch up with Katerina who was always on top of things. Steve was waiting for them in the kitchen when they finally wandered in.

"Morning," He greeted around a bite of an apple.

"M-" Olivia shoved Nina mid-greeting, sending her crashing into Steve. She stopped, regarding them with a sharp eye. Steve's arm braced her around the back, her hands coming up to catch his shoulders. Nina didn't react the way Olivia had expected. Instead of looking all red faced and meek, she turned her head to glare at her before stepping away. However, she didn't miss Steve's hand lingering on the small of her back.

"What was that for?" Nina snapped. It was too early for this shit.

"Nothin'," Olivia shrugged, shooting Steve a knowing look, which only served to confuse him more. As far as she could see, her investment seemed pretty secure.

While they ate they discussed the day's activities. They didn't deviate much from the previous day, but where they did Nina felt more and more unprepared. She was _not_ in shape and, while she could complete the tasks Steve was setting out for her, her body was going to hate her for it long before it rewarded her. She was pretty sure, at some point, an ice bath was going to be necessary because literally every muscle in her body was going to be sore.

Steve kept it slow on their run, keeping a closer eye on Nina. Tony hadn't been wrong to scold him the other day. He'd thrown her into the same training regimen Olivia and Katerina had been on for months and expected her to keep up. If he were totally honest with himself, he was impressed she forced herself through everything he'd put her through.


	22. Chapter 22

Nina was on her tenth lap when they were all interrupted.

"Steve!" A cheerful, booming voice brought everyone to a halt.

"Shit. Wild card," Olivia said as she stopped next to Nina, jabbing her in the ribs. She hissed in pain and grabbed her side. It felt like her entire rib cage was one giant bruise.

"You pickin' this one up?" Olivia asked Katerina when she stopped as well.

"For the bet?" Katerina asked.

"Yeah," Olivia clarified.

"Is that Thor?" Nina asked, pointing at him but turning to the girls for confirmation.

"I don't know. Isn't he dating some...scientist or something?" Katerina asked, both of the girls completely ignoring Nina.

"Nah, that didn't last," Olivia waved her hand. She wasn't sure what woman was dumb enough to break up with the God of Thunder, but it had happened.

"Hm," Katerina pursed her lips, looking back and forth from Nina to Thor.

"Come on. Join the fun," Olivia tempted. "It's only two grand," This caught Nina's attention once again.

"Two _grand_? You're betting _two grand_ on my love life?" Nina had never even owned anything that cost that much. Not by a mile.

"Ah, that's chump change," Olivia insisted, Nina scoffing loudly.

"When you all lose can I have it?" Olivia laughed and grabbed Nina's shoulder, once again way too hard.

"How about you think about that two grand while you're fucking a super hero," Olivia dropped her hand and ran off to join Steve and Thor.

"I'd rather have two grand," Nina mumbled to herself as she followed after her.

"Who is this?" Thor asked as soon as Nina got within earshot.

"Ah," Steve reached over to put an arm around her, something Olivia didn't miss. She wriggled her eyebrows at Katerina, who simply nodded at the scene unfolding. "This is Nina. She just joined us a few days ago. She's a healer," A blush crept up Nina's neck as she once again found herself the center of attention.

"A healer. How interesting," The god took a step closer to her, Steve's arm falling away from Nina as Thor took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady," Olivia frowned and Katerina did nothing to hide her smirk.

"You too," Nina stumbled over her words, making a fool of herself for the hundredth time in the last few days. She was starting to wonder if it was ever going to stop or if she should add it to her list of super powers.

"So," Thor clapped his his hands together, beaming at the four of them. "What are we doing today?" And that was how Katerina, Olivia, and Nina got out of five laps and witnessed the greatest race of all time. Thor was still boasting about his victory as they walked back to the tower. Steve was actually out of breath.

While Nina was trying really hard to get her swoll on, Thor decided it would be a great time to get to know her.

"What else do you do, little healer?" He asked her. He had planted himself on the floor next to her, legs crossed, looking at her like a child awaiting a story.

"Ah," She tried to think of a way to explain it in a quick enough way that she could keep her breath.

"Flower shit," Olivia answered for her.

"Flowers?" Thor laughed, the sound so abrupt and loud Nina all but dropped her weight. "That's adorable," Nina was pretty sure that, at the moment, there wasn't a damn thing adorable about her.

"Show me," Thor went back to beaming up at her from the floor.

"I don't have any," She pointed out, which sent Thor suddenly running from the building.


	23. Chapter 23

"If he brings her flowers that's a point for me," Katerina said casually.

"That doesn't count," Olivia argued.

"Pretty sure it does," Katerina countered.

Sure enough, less then two minutes later Thor had returned with a tiny flower cupped in a hand full of dirt. Nina took it from him, cradling it in her hands and ultimately losing a good bit of dirt on the floor. This much was easy for her. It was a relaxing contrast from accidentally probing someone's brain.

Where one flower was three more bloomed, vines pouring out after them and winding their way up Nina's arm. Everyone stopped to watch. Even Bucky who was at what he considered a safe distance away from everyone. The vines stopped at Nina's elbows and tiny white flowers started popping up along them.

"That's amazing," Steve crouched next to her, mesmerized. Nina smile shyly, feeling like she finally did something right. Even if it wasn't much.

"Beautiful," Thor reached out to stroke a deep green leaf.

" _Ooo, I'm Nina. I can grow flowers with my mind,_ " Olivia mocked, batting her eyelashes.

"You should see yourselves," She teased Steve and Thor, making a gagging noise. Steve turned to narrow his eyes at her disapprovingly, but Thor didn't seem to have heard her.

"I'll have to take this outside," Nina said as she stood from the weight bench. Steve gave her permission and Thor followed after her as she left. On the way back she told him about her much more impressive powers, but he just kept coming back to the flowers.

It turns out, having Steve and Thor in the same room is a little dangerous. It was only a matter of time before they were shoulder to shoulder, arguing over who's biceps were bigger. Katerina, Nina, and Olivia sat on the floor looking on dreamily as all their fantacies became reality.

"What do you think, Nina?" Olivia asked all of the sudden.

Nina hadn't heard a word of it. She was still staring at their muscles, the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't snap out of it until she realized everyone had stopped talking and was staring at her.

"Huh?" She asked, looking from Steve to Olivia.

"Useless," Olivia shook her head.

"Hey," Olivia suddenly turned, shouting across the room at Bucky. "You want in on this, Terminator?" Nina wished she wouldn't have. She knew what it felt like to want to be left alone and have someone like Olivia butt in. It was awkward and uncomfortable. Mildly infuriating.

"No," Bucky stopped what he was doing, focusing his attention not on Olivia, but on Steve and Thor. "We all know who would win," His smirk made Nina's heart skip a beat.

"Ooo, that sounds like a challenge. You gonna take that?" If anyone was an instigator it was Olivia.

In their testosterone filled dick measuring contest, Steve, Thor, and Bucky completely forgot the girls were there. Once again, they managed to weasel their way out of a full workout. Olivia was quite proud of herself, but Nina and Katerina were too busy to notice her inflated ego.

"I win!" Thor shouted after pinning Bucky. They had all three been going rounds in the ring for about an hour now. Nina, who had always been particularly fond of watching men beat each other to a pulp, was having the time of her life. Steve was standing next to her, shirtless, sweaty, short of breath. His arms were crossed over his chest causing every muscle in his upper body to bulge. And she almost didn't even notice.

Olivia and Nina jumped, both making pained sounds as Bucky flipped Thor over and finally gained the upper hand. His metal hand was clasped around Thor's throat, squeezing harder than he would have dared anyone else. He figured a god could take it and he'd certainly been asking for it.

"Alright, that's enough," Steve called it, making sure Bucky actually let go before turning back to the girls.

"Go. Eat. You got lucky today. I'm not going easy on you tomorrow," He ordered.


	24. Chapter 24

"Yes, Captain," Olivia winked flirtatiously at him as all three of them headed off to do what they were told. They almost didn't catch his face reddening.

The girls ate a light lunch and went off to train with Wanda and Vision. Well, Nina and Vision trained. The other three mostly huddled together and discussed the days events and their impact on their ridiculous bet. Nina found the training to be surprisingly relaxing. If nothing else it was better than the hell Steve put them through.

Dinner that night was a much more social event with Thor around. Nina mostly spent the evening listening as everyone exchanged stories. Everyone was still trying to outdo each other and Olivia was still causing trouble. It wasn't until people started to go the bed that Nina realized there was a problem.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked Olivia. They were all sitting on or around the couch now and the story telling was much less boisterous.

"Oh, right," She said and thought about it for a minute. "No," Nina had to admit it was a long shot.

"Cap. You don't mind if Nina bunks with you tonight, right?" He was about to scold her before he realized Nina really didn't have anywhere to sleep. Still, his response wasn't what Olivia wanted to hear.

"There are plenty of empty rooms," He pointed out.

"The flower girl doesn't have a place to sleep?" Thor asked.

"She was staying in your room. We weren't expecting you back anytime soon," Steve told him.

"Stay," Thor turned his attention to Nina. "You may have my bed. I will stay here," And thus began the cycle.

"Oh no, I can find somewhere else. It's fine," Nina assured him.

"I insist," Thor countered.

"I can't take your bed,"

"You are not. I am giving it to you,"

"I'll sleep somewhere else,"

"I think you will not,"

Olivia laughed. "Alright, well good night," She popped up from her spot on the floor, winking at Nina.

"You're move, Kat," She said to her friend as they both left for their own, undisputed rooms. Bucky followed soon after and Steve reluctantly left Nina and Thor alone not long after that.

The two sat in silence, watching TV until Nina had the audacity to yawn.

"You should go to bed," He told her. His arms were crossed over his chest and he didn't bother looking away from the TV.

"No," Nina said stubbornly.

"As you wish," He shrugged, changing the channel to a sportscast, which Nina found mind numbingly boring. He was trying to smoke her out.

Nina lost herself in thought and then lost herself completely. She nodded off, body leaning precariously in Thor's direction. When her head finally hit his shoulder, she jolted awake. He put his arm across the back of the couch, shooting her a sideways look. When she fell into him again only a few minutes later, he took his chance. Before she could move away he trapped her against his side, pulling her as close to him as she could get.

Nina grunted as her efforts to escape were immediately put to a stop. She looked up at him, being met with a smug smile.

"I'm not going to bed," She told him firmly.

"Very well," He thought it was cute that she still thought that was an option.

Nina held out for a full thirty minutes, kept upright by the fact that she was touching another person. And one she wasn't familiar with, at that. But that was becoming the norm for Nina and when she felt her eyelids drooping she let her head fall back against his arm. Knowing then that he had won, Thor shrugged her closer, causing her head to fall into his chest. She didn't protest, but she did pout.


	25. Chapter 25

The first thing Steve noticed when he walked into the living area the next morning was that the TV was still on. When he went to turn it off he found Thor and Nina curled up together on the couch. At some point during the night they had re-situated themselves. Thor was propped up against the arm of the couch, one foot still on the floor while the other was stretched across the couch. Nina was lying on her stomach between his legs, one arm dangling off the edge while the other looked rather uncomfortably wedged between Thor's side and the couch. Her head was resting on his lower stomach and he had one arm draped across her back.

Suddenly feeling both awkward and angry, Steve was unsure of how to approach the situation. He pressed the power button on the TV and shook Thor's shoulder. He awoke immediately, blinking sleepily into the dimly lit room.

"Steve," He took notice of his friend. "Is it morning?" As far as he could see, it was still very much dark outside.

"Yes," Steve crossed his arms, looking down disapprovingly at this far too relaxed companion.

Thor stretched, rubbing Nina's back in the process. She stirred, lifting her arm from it's dangling position and rubbing her eyes but not opening them. She stretched slightly, nuzzling into Thor's stomach and draping her arms above her head, over his abdomen. The position stretched the muscles along her ribs so pleasantly she wouldn't have dreamed of moving.

"Do you always wake up so early?" Thor asked nonchalantly. He settled in, repositioning himself slightly and running his fingers through Nina's hair.

"I see you sorted out your sleeping arrangements," Steve changed the subject and Thor finally realized he was angry. He chuckled slightly and fixed him with an amused stare.

"I think it turned out well. Neither of us is complaining," Nina shifted again, fingers flexing. In her sleep she let out long, drawn out sigh.

"This isn't what I had in mind," Steve continued.

"Then perhaps Olivia was right. Would you have been happier if she spent he night with you?" The God of Thunder asked smugly.

"It isn't about that," Steve hissed.

Just then, Nina raised her head, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she tried to remember where she was. Despite being half asleep she read the scene pretty quickly and pushed herself up onto her knees.

"Good morning," She said through a yawn.

"Good morning," Thor smiled warmly at her. "How did you sleep?" Nina fell back against the opposite arm of the couch, simply too tired to keep herself upright.

"Good," She murmured.

"You have an hour before you need to be up. Go to bed," Steve told her, jerking his head in the direction of the door. She didn't hesitate to go now. Thor stood and began following after her until he was stopped by Steve grabbing him by the arm.

"Don't," He said firmly.

"Why? Am I not allowed another hour of rest as well?" Steve struggled to come up with an answer he felt was suitable. He didn't like the idea of co-workers sleeping together and he didn't mean _sleeping._ He knew very well that it would back fire and the entire team would feel the recoil. Besides, Nina was having a hard enough time keeping herself together. Everything in her life was moving fast and Steve didn't think this was something she needed.

"She's just started training. She doesn't need any distractions," He finally said. While it was true, it was a feeble excuse.

"I will not distract her for long," Thor assure him before leaving Steve alone and irritated.


	26. Chapter 26

Nina was vaguely aware of Thor following her as she made her way upstairs. She knew they were going to end up in the same position and, in her thoroughly exhausted state, she didn't care at all. Crawling into bed with someone she didn't know seemed like a treat she deserved after everything she had been struggling with.

The door to the bedroom was open and Nina didn't skip a beat. She crawled into bed, plopping down on her stomach and drawing her arms up under her chest. Her breathing was steady and deep even before Thor could lie down next to her. This time, he didn't try to coax her closer. He let her rest peacefully, only resting a hand on her back, feeling it rise and fall steadily.

"Man," A whine came from the threshold of the room an hour later. It woke Thor, but Nina was still asleep. She hadn't moved an inch the entire time and was drooling.

"Why'd you have to show up now? I had this in the bag," Olivia complained to Thor in a whisper, slapping the back of her hand into the palm of the other.

"What are you talking about?" Thor sat up, this time feeling a little better rested.

"Nothing," Olivia grumbled, quickly deciding that telling him would give him, and thus Katerina, an unfair advantage. She stomped over to Nina and touched her shoulder, sending a small jolt of electricity into the sleeping girls body.

Nina yelped and jumped straight up. Once she spotted Olivia she knew what had happened.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She hissed, rubbing her arm.

"What are you gonna do? Throw a rock at me?" Olivia taunted.

Nina sat back on her heels, wondering what had Olivia so worked up until she remembered Thor was working on costing her two grand.

"Maybe I will," Nina stood and started milling around the room. Olivia had given her some clothes to keep so there was always something on hand.

"So, how did you sleep? Traitor," Nina threw Olivia an incredulous look as she piled an outfit in her arms and walked towards the bathroom.

"I'm not on your side," She reminded her before the door closed behind her.

"Did I miss something?" Thor asked cluelessly.

Breakfast was unusually quiet and awkward. Thor seemed to really have taken a liking to Nina. He spent the whole time with an arm around her shoulders, happy as could be. Steve looked between the two of them like he was waiting for one of them to burst into flames. Olivia was surprised by how nonchalant Nina was acting. She didn't even acknowledge Thor and her body looked relaxed the whole time. Katerina was just drinking it all in, thinking about what she was going to spend her winning on.

Once they got outside and down to business, Nina realized today was going to be the worst of them all. Her body had been sore the day before, but only just. Today it felt like she was running on broken legs. Her ribs screamed with every twist of her body and her lungs seemed to be in worse shape than they previously were. Every breath burned and her shoulders were tired from keeping her posture. It was a disappointingly short time before she found herself leaning against the side of the Tower, hands on her head as she drank in as much air as she could.

When Steve came around and spotted her, he stopped. Just like the day before, he was breathing heavily.

"Everything alright?" Her asked.

"Yeah, I just can't breathe," She'd been there for at least a full minute and hadn't improved much. Her throat felt raw and dry.

"Come on," Steve gestured for her. "Keep moving. It hurts worse if you stop," Nina pushed herself off the wall and wandered back to the sidewalk. Her legs wobbled as she did, knees weak and hips loose.

Walking did help a little, but it didn't make running any easier. It took her significantly longer to finish and she found herself genuinely angry with Olivia when she teased her for it. Once inside the gym they were allowed to sit for a minute.

Nina pressed her back against the cold, stone wall, closing her eyes as it cooled her exposed skin. She sipped on a bottle of water, knowing better already not to over do it. The last thing she needed on top of everything else was to throw up. When she wasn't drinking she was rolling the bottle across the tops of her bare thighs, massaging and cooling her overworked muscles at the same time.


	27. Chapter 27

"Alright, we're doing something a little different today," Nina opened her eyes once Steve started talking. The though of changing things up twisted her stomach into a knot. What she needed was stability. Some sort of routine.

"Instead of strength training we're going to focus on hand to hand combat," Steve went on to talk about why it was important, but Nina wasn't very interested in listening. She should have expected this, but it hadn't had time to cross her mind yet.

"Olivia, you're with Thor. Katerina, you're with me. Nina, Buck is going to show you the ropes. Are we all good here?" _No_.

Nina's heart was in her throat. After her last encounter with Bucky, she wasn't exactly eager to jump into another one. It wasn't that she didn't like him. Or that she didn't _want_ to like him. The problem was that he was extremely intimidating and she was almost positive _he_ didn't like _her._ Regardless of her dread, she found herself on her feet again.

"Have you ever been in a fight before?" He asked her as they retreated to one corner of the gym.

"No," The closest Nina had ever come to a fist fight was probably dealing with Olivia for the last few days. She'd never even considered laying a hand on someone. Not because she was against it, but because she knew she would get her ass handed to her.

"Make a fist," She did, clenching her fingers tight and ignoring her nails cutting uncomfortably into her palm. Since she had never made a fist for a long period of time she had never realized how awkward it felt.

Once Bucky was satisfied with her fist making capabilities, they moved on to stance.

"Widen your stance. Keep your leading foot behind you," He tapped her right foot with his. "Bend your knees. You want your center of gravity low. It keeps you grounded when you're defending and ready to move when you're not," Nina did what he said, instinctively lifting her fists to cover her face. As previously mentioned, she liked fights, so she wasn't completely ignorant. She'd watched enough boxing to be mildly educated.

"Good," Bucky adjusted her arms slightly. "Keep your chin down," She didn't struggle too much with the stance. Most people didn't. The problem was going to be keeping it in a fight.

"Now, you're going to be smaller than most of your opponents. That's an advantage. You'll want to aim for the throat or the chest, right here," He tapped the center of his chest. "You'll want to stun them. Knock the wind out of them. Go for body shots before you got for the face," He led her over to a heavy bag next.

He didn't give her any instructions at first, just watched to see what her natural instinct would be. Nina bounced on the balls of her feet for a second, shaking her arms out before positioning them. Before she struck she clung to the only knowledge she had. Use your whole body.

It wasn't a bad attempt. Bucky was actually a little impressed. She didn't have much weight to put behind a punch, but she didn't hit like a girl. That was for sure.

Nina returned to her stance as Bucky came up behind her. His hand touched her hip, guiding it back to mirror his own. "Keep your hips at an angle. It'll give you more power behind your swing when you turn into it," A shiver ran up Nina's spine as his fingers slipped away.

She took a moment to recover as Bucky backed up to give her space. She shook her head, trying to physically rid herself of the thought of him. It didn't work very well since he was only a few feet away, studying her.

Nina took another swing at the bag, grunting with the effort and slamming her fist into the worn leather. She jumped back, dropping her stance abruptly and looking to Bucky, her eyes wide.

"Whoa," She breathed out, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

Bucky smile back. It actually touched his eyes this time.


	28. Chapter 28

They went on to work on a few other basic moves, all of which Nina showed promise in after a few try's. The whole experience was therapeutic. With each jab she felt more confident in herself, which was something she had been severely lacking until then. Being a super hero sounded impossible, and it would have been had she not found so many people to rely on.

"It looked like you and Bucky made some real progress today," Steve said as everyone collected their things, ready to head upstairs and get something to eat.

"Yeah," Nina hadn't been able to keep the smile off her face since they finished up. "It went a lot better than I thought it would," She admitted.

"You should give yourself more credit. You're a natural," He had been watching them between sparing with Katerina. Her body had fallen right into the rhythm and Bucky had done surprisingly well with her. He'd been afraid he wouldn't have the patience to help her, but it had been worth the risk.

"Don't boost her ego too much. She'll be taking you on before long," Bucky winked at Nina as he went by. She bounced on her toes, perking up at his praise.

Steve was left staring after his best friend, taken aback. It wasn't what he'd said that had surprised Steve. It was what he did. Seeing Bucky flirting with women was a completely normal thing, or at least it had been decades ago. Since getting him back from HYDRA he had barely shown a speck of who he used to be.

Nina spent round three of training mostly on her own, messing around with creating stone structures, shields, and weapons. It wasn't something she had experimented with much in the past. There had been no need for a javelin longer than her own body or a wall wide and thick enough to cover multiple people. It took more out of her than she had expected.

After dinner Nina took an extra long shower. She treated her hair with an argan mask and her body with a coconut oil scrub. By the time she got out every inch of her was soft and warm. She slipped into a pair of cotton shorts and a plain white t-shirt, both of which actually belonged to her. She really was going to have to run by Brooklyn soon.

She stepped into her bedroom, toes squishing into the plush carpet as she dried her hair with a towel. When she pulled it away she found Thor lounging on the bed, looking like he'd been waiting for her.

"Oh, right. I've got to find somewhere to sleep," She let the towel fall over her shoulder. "Do you know which rooms are empty?" There had to be several and they were likely just down the hall, but she wasn't about to go opening random doors.

"Why do you think you must sleep alone?" Thor asked, ready to argue his point until she relented.

"We can't sleep together," She responded bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Because...it's inappropriate," Nina was starting to think boundaries were a little different in Asgard.

"What is inappropriate? We have done nothing of a sexual nature. I do not see how tonight should be any different than the last," Nina's face heated and she shifted uncomfortably. "Is sleeping next to someone not a comfort for you?" He questioned.

"Of course it is," She let out a breath. It was _very_ comforting, actually. Even when it had been Olivia sharing a bed with her it felt nice to not be alone.

"Then I see no trouble. Steve may be upset, but I do not see how this is any of his concern," Nina remembered the look he'd been giving Thor when she woke up on the couch with him. She didn't want him to be angry with her.

"Come to bed," Thor said, moving over to give her plenty of room. She hesitated for a minute, wondering to herself what the harm _really_ was to cuddling up to a literal god and getting a good nights sleep. And, he wasn't wrong. What they did or didn't do really was none of Steve's business.

Nina turned off the light and got into bed, intending to keep to her own side and just take comfort in knowing she wasn't alone. Thor, of course, had other ideas.


	29. Chapter 29

"Come here," With almost no effort whatsoever, he pulled her to his side, his fingers brushing across the bare flesh of her side as her shirt rode up.

"I didn't know this was part of the deal," She mumbled, hoping he couldn't see how red her face had gotten. He chuckled and she could feel it rumble through his chest.

"Of course. I want you to be comfortable," Well...she was. Externally. Internally she was a train wreck of emotions and buried primal urges.

Soon, Thor's breathing evened out and she took comfort in knowing he was asleep. For a second she considered trying to break free of his grasp and put a little distance between them. Instead, slowly as not to wake him, she slipped her leg over his and fitted herself against him. She had never slept with someone like this before and it was pure bliss.

Unfortunately, that bliss was doomed. Despite her comfort, she slept restlessly that night. She tossed and turned, soon gone from Thor's side once she was unconscious. Something black and poisonous prodded her mind and terrorized her thoughts. After being trapped in the nightmare for what felt like an eternity, Nina finally awoke, breath heavy and a thin film of sweat coating her skin. Once conscious she recognized the darkness immediately. It was Bucky's.

The thought of falling into that again was enough to deter her from sleep. Carefully, she got out of bed and snuck out of the room. She didn't know where she was going or what she intended to do. She simply let her feet guide her. They took her down a story and into the living area and kitchen, where she figured she would get a glass of water and sit in silence for a while.

To her surprise, she wasn't alone.

"Hey," Bucky raised his eyes, just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She felt exposed under his icy gaze, like he knew she had been thinking about him.

"Hey," Bucky said back, setting his half full glass down on the marble counter top.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be up," She said, walking into the kitchen and getting a glass for herself.

Bucky shrugged. "I don't sleep much," Nina didn't find that very surprising, all things considered.

"I haven't been either, but I blame Steve for that," She leaned next to him, both facing out into the living area at the couch and black TV screen. There was something about empty, open spaces that Nina had always found comforting. She found herself dreaming about them with an unusual frequency, now that she thought about it.

"What was it this time? Your new roommate?" Bucky suggested, almost sounding a little sarcastic.

"No," Nina let out a breath. She was embarrassed by the whole situation and didn't really want to discuss it. "I had a nightmare and figured I would clear my head," That was something Bucky could relate to. More often than not, that was why he was up there by himself in the middle of the night.

"What was it about?" She hadn't expected him to ask. He hadn't either actually. The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You," Nina didn't look at him, but could feel his eyes as he turned them on her. Instead, she traced the veins of gray in the counter top with her finger.

Bucky's jaw flexed as he withdrew his gaze. He hadn't forgotten about her trip through the hellscape that was his mind, but he had tried. If nothing else, he hoped the effect it had on her was temporary. Now that he knew he was haunting her dreams, there was no hope left to have.

The two of them sat in silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. Nina was starting to wish she had stayed in bed. The kitchen wasn't any less full of dread and tension than her bedroom was. She felt herself deflating. If things could just be okay for more than a few hours…

Nina's thoughts were interrupted by the loudest sound she had ever heard coming from somewhere outside. She and Bucky both jumped, their eyes snapping up to the wall of windows to their left. An orange and red ball of fire was curling into the air, lighting everything around it as if it were the sun. Bucky ran to the widows, trying to calculate what had just happened and where. At the same time, alarms started going off within the building itself.


	30. Chapter 30

"We have to go," Bucky crossed the room quickly, grabbing Nina's arm and pulling her along when he reached her.

"Go where?" She asked over the shrill of the alarm system.

"Out there," Her eyes widened in shock and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Of course they were going to the scene of a huge explosion. They were the Avengers.

They wound their way down to the main floor and into what might as well have been a parking garage. From the sheer size of it Nina figured they could store a plane in there if they really needed to.

Bucky unlocked a large metal case, opening it to reveal an array of rifles, shot-guns, and pistols. Nina watched, frozen, as he started pulling them out and strapping them all over his body. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do in a situation like this. She'd never held a gun in her life, let alone used one. She wasn't even fully dressed.

Bucky pushed past her and slung his leg over a motorcycle, the roar of the engine soon filling the room. Nina hadn't made a move since he let go of her. Her brain had stopped processing information. She didn't even notice the bruise already fading on her wrist.

"Get on," Bucky demanded. "Now!" He shouted when she hesitated. She jumped, flinching away from the sound.

Somehow her body moved. She climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, her arms instantly locking themselves around him. He didn't hesitate to hit the gas. The back tire squealed as they peeled out of the garage and into the night, the heavy scent of smoke lingering in the air.

There were three more explosions before they finally reached the first scene. The air was hot and heavy. Fire crackled, consuming buildings on both sides of the street. There were people screaming as the floors of their homes gave out and the roofs collapsed in on them. They stumbled into the streets, their clothes in shambles, haunting looks in their eyes as they tripped over the corpses of their neighbors.

Nina was breathless, but this wasn't the first time Bucky had seen war. He got off the motorcycle and lifted Nina off next, setting her on her feet and gripping her upper arms tight. He brought his face in close to hers. His eyes were so intense she couldn't look away.

"Get to everyone you can. Focus on one at a time. If you can't save them, move on," He ordered, raising is voice to be heard over the cacophony. When Nina's only response was to continue giving him a thousand yard stare, he lifted one hand from her shoulder and cupped her cheek.

"Nina, listen to me. These people will die without you. You have to focus," Her eyes blinked into focus and a hiccup-like sound slipped past her lips. "Can you do that?" This time she nodded, but he still wasn't sure she heard what he said. Either way, there was no time left to waste. He gave her what was meant to be a reassuring nod and ran off, rifle at the ready.

Nina looked around her, mesmerized by the flames. The screams and crumbling of buildings morphed into a droning that filled not only her ears, but her mind.

"One at a time," She echoed Bucky's words as her eyes came back down from trying to find the stars through all the smoke. There were so many bodies she didn't know where to start. After a moment, her feet simply took her to the nearest one.

The bodies in the street turned out to be just that. Every one she touched was long gone or so severely damaged it wouldn't have been possible to save them. That's not to say she didn't try. After two failed attempts she realized she was wasting time. From then on she only tended to the people who were moving. She didn't stop to think about the people she saved. The relief of one didn't end the suffering of the fifty still screaming in her ears.

Most of the commotion was, unfortunately, coming from inside the buildings around her. She began ducking in and out in short bursts. She couldn't breathe any better than the people trapped inside. She could barely see through the smoke that stung her eyes and clouded them with tears. Despite this, she did manage to drag a few people out. The irritations in her eyes and respiratory system cleared in seconds once outside, allowing her to concentrate.


	31. Chapter 31

It was impossible to tell how long she had been at it. Time was all blurring together. It could have been ten minutes or two hours. She couldn't tell a difference. One thing she had noticed was the commotion in the distance. It was difficult to tell what exactly was causing it. Only gunshots were recognizable and those could have come from anyone; Bucky, a brave citizen, or whoever was responsible for destroying what was now four city blocks. The only thing she could be absolutely certain of was that they were getting closer.

Nina was kneeling in the center of the street, a small girl cradled in her arms. She couldn't have been any older than three or four. Her blonde hair was dulled by soot and dirt, her pale skin marred by burns and small cuts. As usual, the external wounds healed quicker. Nina did her best to remain calm and keep her mind clear. Any distractions would slow the process and there was no time for that. The main issue was internal. One of the girls lungs had collapsed and, partnered with smoke inhalation, she was suffocating. Or drowning in blood. Probably both.

"Come on, come on, come on," Nina whispered to herself as the last of the girl's external wounds closed. Finally, the heart of the problem was being tended to. The girl began coughing after a minute, blood spewing from her lips and adding to the crimson stains already covering Nina's clothes and hands. But soon, she started gasping and whimpering. Nina knew she had won. All she had to do was wait for the wound to close.

"There," She did a once over. There was no more damage.

Nina shifted the girl in her arms. She had opened her eyes and was looking around, not really seeing anything.

"Hey, you're okay," Nina assured her, her voice soft and gentle. She wasn't dying, but she wasn't out of the water yet either. It wasn't exactly safe for Nina to leave her lying in the middle of the street.

Nina had gotten her foot under her, getting ready to stand up when a shot rang out. She watched as a spot of red began blooming on the small girls forehead, quickly pouring over as she went limp and her eyes became lifeless. The blood, hot and slick, instantly coated Nina's thigh.

What little control Nina had over her actions was lost. She fell back on her heels, frozen to the spot. All of the sudden she couldn't breath. Couldn't blink. Couldn't function.

A scream tore itself from her throat as someone grabbed her from behind. They pinned her arms, not only making it impossible for her to loose herself, but causing the child to roll out of her arms and onto the ground. She screamed again, this time in anguish rather than in fear as tears created trails down her dirty face.

Nina didn't fight. She allowed herself to be dragged backward, her attacker not stopping until they reached the sidewalk. They remained there for a moment, waiting out a hail of gunfire. When the coast was clear, her attacker turned her around.

"Bucky," She hadn't even considered that she wasn't about to be murdered.

"Hey, look at me. I'm gonna get you out of here," Nina didn't care about that. Her eyes raced back over to the girl in the street, a strangled cry clawing its away out no matter how hard she tried to keep it in.

Bucky clutched her to his chest and took off. He stayed low. He kept to the sidewalk. But that didn't stop him from being seen. And shot.

Nina heard the thud of the bullets entering his shoulder. She felt the flesh and muscle tear and the bone splinter. Bucky ducked into an alley, down a clear road, and into another alley. Carefully, he set Nina down before reaching up to grab his shoulder.

"You-you have to let me-"

"No," His hand shot out to grab hers as she reached out. "Stay here. If anyone comes, hide," She tried to keep him there, but he slipped right out of her grasp.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N:** Sorry the update was a little late today. I got a late start. BUT, I've updated my storyboard and today I'll be writing a part I've been looking forward to for a while now. I expect to make some good progress, so tomorrow's update should be a little longer than today's!

The ally Nina found herself hiding in was cold and dark. The clamor of battle and the cries of desperation from still dying people were muffled by the short distance. If she looked at the right angle, she could see the Tower. She probably could have made it back if she tried, but she was more inclined at that point to run the other direction. No matter her inclination, she couldn't move.

After several hours, the din died down and the sky began to lighten. Nina had been crying on and off. Her body never did stop shaking. Her muscles were so tense her stomach was starting to hurt. She was starting to think everyone was dead and she was waiting for no one. That was until Thor found her.

"Nina, there you are," He ran to her and dropped to a crouch. "Are you hurt?" He wiped dirt and tears from her face, eyes traveling down her crumpled body. As covered in blood as she was it was hard to tell if any of it was hers.

Nina grabbed hold of his arms, her grip so tight he could feel her nails biting through his shirt. Her world was spinning, or rather spiraling. Thor was the only thing keeping her grounded so she clung to him as tightly as she could.

"I'm taking you back to the Tower," Thor picked her up and her body responded immediately. She threw her arms around him, buried her face in his neck, and locked her legs around his middle so tightly he probably could have let go and she wouldn't have fallen.

Literally taking flight probably would have been a mind blowing event for Nina if she were in any other state. In this case, she didn't even seem to notice. While Thor was on his way to take her back to their room, he was intercepted by Olivia. She and Katerina had been forbidden from participating and, had Nina not been elsewhere at the time of the initial attack, she would have been locked up in the Tower too.

"Is she okay?" Olivia kept close to Thor's side as he walked into the bathroom.

"I believe so," He sat Nina down on the counter and went to remove her blood stained shirt.

"Hey, hey," Olivia threw her hand out to stop him. "I've got it," She insisted as she nudged him out of the way.

"Are you certain?" Olivia had never struck Thor as the caring type.

"Yes. It's not like I have anything better to do," Naturally, she was pretty bitter at being left behind. Given how long everyone had been gone and the state Nina had been returned in, she assumed she would have been useful at some point.

Thor left Olivia and Nina alone, returning to the scene to help everyone else wrap things up. Olivia undressed Nina, talking to her while she did. She realized pretty quickly it was more to comfort herself than to help Nina. The girl spent the entire time staring past her, tears occasionally falling down her dirty face.

"You're not hurt are you? Of course not. You can heal yourself," Olivia said to herself as she ran a hot bath. "How did you even end up out there anyway? Steve said he couldn't find you," She stopped to look her friend in the eyes, hoping she would come back to her. It was useless.

"Alright, come on," Olivia helped Nina down from the counter and guided her to the bath. Nina stepped in and immediately sunk to a crouch, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs.

"You gonna help me out, or am I on my own?" Nina didn't answer. Olivia was starting to think she was in shock.

Olivia bathed Nina with very little assistance. It was difficult to admit, but she was starting to get scared. She'd never seen someone in such a state. She was absolutely catatonic. Whatever had happened out there must have been bad. What had she seen?

Olivia was getting Nina into one of Thor's shirts when he popped up in the doorway.

"Is she alright?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, I'm pretty sure she's not. What the hell happened?" Olivia asked not so kindly.

"I don't know. I didn't even know she was there until Barnes sent me to retrieve her," Olivia narrowed her eyes.


	33. Chapter 33

"Retrieve her from where?" Olivia asked.

"He left her in an ally away from the fight. She was healing people until the fight got to close and Barnes took her somewhere safe," Thor explained.

Olivia laughed bitterly. So _he_ dragged her out there.

"She needs to sleep. You can take it from here," Olivia handed Nina over to Thor, convinced that if she were going to freak out he could handle it. Then she went off to find Bucky.

Thor carried Nina to bed, her grip much more slack than before. In fact, she barely held on at all. He tucked her in to bed and sat on the edge, not wanting to leave her. For a while she just kept starting, her eyes somewhere far away. Thor didn't know any better than Olivia what she had seen and he was just as angry that Bucky had dragged her into it and then left her alone.

"Hey!" Olivia barked, causing Dr. Banner to jump as he removed a bullet from Bucky's shoulder. "What the hell is your problem dragging Nina out there like that and then leaving her?" She stormed into the room and got right into his face.

"She was doing fine," Bucky grumbled, currently more concerned with the shooting pain in his shoulder.

" _Fine_? Have you _seen_ her? Oh, no, right, you haven't because _you left her_ ," The air crackled noisily around Olivia, which only made Dr. Banner more nervous. He was about to say something when Steve entered the room, having heard the commotion.

"Olivia," She spun around to glare at Steve, who was giving her a stern look.

"Don't 'Olivia' me. Where the hell were _you_ when you boyfriend was putting Nina in danger?" Olivia's fists clenched at her sides. She was about two seconds from taking them both on by herself.

"I didn't know," Steve's eyes met Bucky's. They had already had a heated conversation about this. Steve didn't think Nina should have been out there any more than he thought Olivia or Katerina should have been. Someone should have at least been watching her, but Bucky didn't tell anyone until it was too late.

"Well isn't that convenient," Olivia turned her attention back to Bucky.

"She's freaking out, you know? She's completely lost it. I just got done giving a grown woman a bath for Christ's sake. She won't look at me, she won't talk, she just stares right past you and fucking cries," Olivia knew no one was going to do anything about this, so she wanted him to know exactly what he'd done to her. She almost hoped Nina would stay that was just long enough for him to see for himself.

Bucky looked away, his eyes mostly hidden behind a curtain of dark hair. He clenched his fist, causing pain to shoot through his shoulder and down his back.

No one quite knew how to respond to what Olivia had told them. Bucky hadn't expected it to be that bad, but cursed himself for it. He should have known it was too much for her to handle. Steve was worried, but didn't know how to approach the situation. He felt like going to see her would only make things worse. He had always been bad with women anyway. Dr. Banner, on the other hand, was completely lost. He didn't even know who they were talking about.

"Fucking useless," Olivia growled finally. She'd given them all ample time to say something. To make their excuses. But they couldn't even do that.

She left the room, making sure to give Steve a good shove on her way out.

"Bucky," Nina whimpered in her sleep. Her face was the picture of distress and she had reached out to grab at something that wasn't there.

Thor watched her sadly. He had a feeling there was little he could do for a woman crying out for another man. That didn't stop his heart from breaking. When she continued to whimper he scooped her up in his arms, swaddling her in a blanket, and sat her on his lap. After some time she seemed to calm down.


	34. Chapter 34

It wasn't until after noon that she began to stir. When she opened her eyes she wasn't sure where she was. Her head was pounding and her eyes felt dry and swollen. She groaned, lifting a hand to her face. Thor shushed her and pulled her hand away, keeping it securely in his.

"Go back to sleep," His voice was so deep and soothing she might have, had her mind not chosen that moment to remind her of what happened.

Nina shot up, Thor barely reacting quick enough to restrain her. Her breath was coming fast and hard, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Bucky," His name passed her lips as a breathless whisper as she struggled.

"Barnes is safe," Nina barely heard him and his words didn't make a difference.

"Let me go!" She cried, pulling hopelessly at his arm. She couldn't even get her hand fully around his wrist.

Thor held her against his chest, hushing her and planting thoughtful kisses along her shoulder. She muffled a cry and bit down hard on the inside of her mouth.

"Relax," He breathed in her ear, feeling her heart rate slow and her body still. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against her temple. "Barnes is fine," He tried to hold back to venom in his voice, but some ultimately seeped out.

"I need to see him," This time when Nina struggled against him he let her break away. She wobbled on her feet, pressing a hand to the wall to steady herself. She gave Thor a pleading look. He didn't want to take her to him, but the thought of disappointing her was more upsetting.

Thor led Nina down a floor. Everything here was white and there was too much glass. For what it was, the medical wing could easily be destroyed. Once Nina heard voices, she took off ahead of Thor. She sprinted the short distance to an examination room, everyone quietening when she skidded to a halt.

Steve, Bucky, and Dr. Banner were standing around discussing what had happened the previous night. Standing awkwardly by was Nina's father. When he hadn't been able to get a hold of her when he knew the attack was over he went looking for her. They had insisted he not disturb her and told him he was more than welcome to hang around until she woke up.

The second Frank saw his daughter, he took a step forward, opening his mouth to speak. But it became clear very quickly that she wasn't there for him. She froze when she spotted Bucky. Her shoulders fell and for a second she looked like she could have fallen over.

"You're okay," Her voice suddenly seemed to be failing her. She tiptoed across the cold floor to where Bucky was sitting. Her fingers immediately went to the strap of the sling his arm was in. He followed her with his eyes, trying to gauge just how okay she was.

She looked weak and pale. Her light brown hair was sticking out in all directions and her gray eyes were glassy and wet. A frown had settled upon her lips at finding Bucky injured. All she wore was a black long sleeved shirt, which was far too big for her. It was slipping off one shoulder and much of her legs were exposed despite the length of the garment. Her head tilted to the side, her brows drawing together as her fingers ghosted over Bucky's shoulder.

"Can I?" Her voice was barely a whisper. She looked over to meet Bucky's eyes. For a second he just stared at her.

When Bucky nodded she started sliding the sling off his shoulder. Slowly, she slipped it from his arm, careful not to cause him any pain. A pained expression came over her when she settled her palm against his skin. He couldn't keep his eyes off her.

For Nina, preexisting wounds were worse than fresh ones. While the wounds were clean and closed, they were also raw and aching. She could feel the pain deep in her own shoulder. In addition to the two bullet wounds there were numerous cuts and a few new broken ribs. It took longer than usual for her to heal them, but this time she was able to stay out of his psyche.

"Thank you," Bucky's eyes met Nina's again and she smiled softly. Somehow, she looked even more exhausted than before.


	35. Chapter 35

"What was that?" Nina's gaze swung over to see a man she didn't recognize.

"Nina's a healer," Steve explained to Bruce, who then gave her a skeptical look. He hurried over and looked at Bucky's shoulder. Sure enough, the wounds were gone.

"How did you do that?" He asked her, but she wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Dad?" She had finally seen him. She took a few steps in his direction and he hurried to embrace her.

"I'm so glad you're okay," He held her tightly and smoothed her wild hair. It was all he could do not to cry. She hugged him back, feeling for once like she was home and nothing had changed.

"Lets give them the room," Steve rounded everyone up and led them out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" Frank held Nina at arms length, looking her over.

"I'm okay," She assured him, though she didn't believe it was true. She had never felt so weak. So broken. She felt like she could sleep for days.

"What happened out there?" He guided Nina to a chair, seeing as she was swaying on her feet. Nina shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Everything was...destroyed. There were bodies everywhere. I almost got shot," Her eyes were starting to fade again. Images of the little girl's face rushed through her mind. "Bucky saved me," She frowned, realizing that if it hadn't been for her he probably wouldn't have been shot.

"Thank god for that," Frank took a deep breath. He couldn't fathom what Nina had been through. He'd seen the news footage. It was a catastrophe.

"Where are your clothes?" He gave her a small smile, bringing her back from whatever far away place she had gone to.

"Oh," Nina looked down at her legs. "I don't know. I...I don't remember much after Thor found me," Now that she though about it she didn't remember _anything_. Between Thor finding her in the ally and waking up on his lap everything was gone.

"It looks like I have a lot of people to thank," While Frank was just glad she was alive, Nina was realizing how defenseless she had been. Instead of thinking about how unlikely it was that she even survived the night, she was thinking about how useless she had been. How many lives had she even saved? Looking back it felt like one failure after another.

"I should leave you alone. You need to sleep," Nina didn't protest that.

On the way out of the room, Frank kept an arm around her. After thinking she could have been gone, he couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. He reminded her to eat and drink plenty of fluids and to call the next day when she was feeling better. Before they ran into the others, he told her happy birthday. She had completely forgotten.

It seemed to take forever for Nina to get back to her room. Every step was too slow. Her body felt so heavy. Every time she blinked she considered letting them stay closed and sleeping where she fell. Thor made sure she got back okay and was safe in bed before he went back to speak to Steve and Bucky.

"She loves you,"

Thor, Steve, and Bucky were standing in the kitchen. None of them had spoken in some time. They were all deep in thought about one thing or another. None of those things being pleasant. That was until Thor finally spoke up.

"No, she doesn't," Bucky said once he realized he had been talking to him.

"She does. You can see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She loves you," He didn't want to admit it. In a short span of time Thor had latched onto the girl and the thought of not being able to win her heart himself was more painful than he had expected. But he didn't trust Bucky and he wanted to make a few things very clear.

Bucky shook his head.


	36. Chapter 36

"She doesn't love me. She feels bad because I got shot," There was a bite to his voice.

Thor chuckled, pushing himself off the counter, putting himself a little close to Bucky. "A woman does not call out in her sleep to a man she does not love," Bucky rubbed a hand over his face and Steve perked up.

"Whether you see it or not, it is true. It won't be long before that is clear. Nina is a good woman with many people willing to defend her. I would not advise breaking her heart," The thinly veiled threat didn't get past anyone. Tensions rose in the room and didn't settle much when Thor, having said what he meant to say, left.

"He might not be wrong," Steve said after a short pause.

Bucky shot him a glare.

"She trusts you. She cares about you. People aren't exactly lining up to be on your team, Buck. Don't push her away," Little did Steve know, that was exactly what Bucky intended to do.

The sun was low in the sky when Nina finally awoke, feeling well rested. She lied in bed alone, staring out the window as the sky shifted to shades of pink and orange. Her stomach growling and aching from almost an entire day without food was what eventually dragged her out of bed. She changed into more suitable pajamas before wandering out of her room and down to the kitchen.

"Hey, look who's up," Olivia, who was usually much more abrasive, greeted her friend gently. After the emotional distress she had apparently been through the night before, Olivia figured now wasn't the time to pick on her.

Nina ignored her and made her way to the refrigerator, which she stared into blankly, shivering from the cold.

"Here, I'll make you a sandwich. Sit down," Olivia steered her away and got her into one of the bar stools. Nina didn't object. Secretly, she was glad she didn't have to lift a finger.

"How are you feeling," Thor asked as he approached the counter. He looked like he already knew the answer, and it was obvious just by looking at her.

Nina only shrugged.

While Olivia and Thor crowded her, everyone else gave her space. They all knew better than to prod, but her two companions couldn't stand the thought of leaving her alone. It was clear she was barely hanging on. It wouldn't have taken much for her to break down again and they wanted to be there to help if that were to happen.

"What happened out there?" Olivia asked. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but...it might help," Olivia was absolutely right. Nina didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to think about it. But she couldn't get it out of her head. So, she told them with a cold indifference that frightened them both.

"I can't believe he left you like that," Olivia said, having already been angry with Bucky all day. Hearing it again only fueled her growing hatred for the Winter Soldier. What Nina was describing sounded like hell. Like literal Hell. And Nina was too soft for that.

"It wasn't his fault," Nina said around a bite of her ham sandwich.

"Yes it-"

"What was he going to do?" Nina interrupted abruptly, the energy in her voice only lasting a second or two before fading away again. "He couldn't hang around just waiting for me to need saving," She didn't try to hide the bitterness.

"He shouldn't have taken you out there in the first place," Thor clenched his jaw and stared through the opposing wall.

Nina didn't say anything to that. On one hand, Thor was right. Nina hadn't been prepared for any of that and it clearly took a toll on her body. Not only that, but she wasn't sure she had made any real difference. Since things were no less blurred together than they had been in the moment, Nina still had no idea how long she had been out there or how many people she had saved.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N:** I don't know if the emotion translated well enough, but I teared up a little writing this.

After eating, Nina is quick to return to bed. This time Thor comes with her, not wanting to leave her alone in the state she's in. Finding herself once again engulfed in his large frame, she can't help but break down. All the misery and self-loathing pouring out of her in a river of tears. Mercifully, it doesn't last long this time around.

The night only proves to increase the problematic nature of the relationship between Thor and Nina. She reciprocates his gentle touches and pulls him ever closer even though she knows she shouldn't be allowing any of it to happen. The tender kisses he rains across her skin set her body alight and prove to be an effective distraction.

The next morning they wake up once again in a tangle of limbs, neither of them wanting to move. Nina lies there for several hours, waiting for Olivia to burst in and drag her away for another day of hard labor. The interruption never comes.

When the thought of facing the day becomes less daunting, Nina gets out of bed and takes a long shower. When she doesn't trip over herself of struggle to keep her body upright, she begins to relax. She realizes then how much control she had lost and the toll that overusing her abilities had on her. Her head no longer ached and when she stepped out of the shower she felt as if she were actually awake instead of coasting on empty.

She and Thor entered the living area together, only to nearly be bowled over by Olivia.

"Perfect timing. I was just coming to get you," Before Nina could ask what for, Olivia grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the couch.

"Look," She pointed up at the TV, where a news broadcast was being rewound. Katerina finally pressed play and the news castors voice started playing over the speakers.

 _"_ _Late last night Tony Stark was hounded by questions about a young woman found apparently healing citizens at the bombing site. Through the night she was spotted running in and out of burning buildings, rescuing countless residence and then healing their wounds, seemingly with just_ _the_ _touch of her hands,"_ The footage on screen switched to an overhead shot of Nina running through the fire-lit street and directly into a building, which collapsed only minutes after she dragged an unconscious woman from it.

 _"_ _After an hour of evading these questions, possibly to protect this young hero's identity, Mr. Stark finally made this statement,"_ Tony Stark, still geared up in the Iron-Man suit flashed onto the screen.

 _"_ _Tonight, many of you met the newest member of our little team of extraordinary people. We're calling her Artemis; Maiden of the Earth, Mender of the Broken. She wasn't supposed to be there. She's young, inexperienced. She has a long way to come, but you all saw what she_ _'s_ _capable of. In time, she is going to become not only an invaluable member of the Avengers, but to society,"_ A lump formed in Nina's throat and, despite all the tears she had already shed, her eyes were starting to well up with them.

 _"_ _She saved my wife,"_ There was a man on screen, tears in his eyes and his voice heavy with emotion. He was clutching a slight woman with graying hair. _"I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost her. I hope someday I can repay her for what she did for us,"_ The camera switched to yet another crying, shivering citizen.

 _"_ _She was so close. I can't believe it,"_ The blonde haired, blue eyed woman clutched her middle. Her lip trembled and a tear slid down her pale cheek. _"She ran in to save my daughter. My Grace. I was trapped across the street and I couldn't get to her. She held her in the middle of the street. I heard her coughing. I think she was okay,"_ The woman smiled a sad smile and Nina raised her hand to her mouth.

 _"_ _It wasn't her fault they shot her,"_ Tears were steaming down Nina's face. She could barely keep herself upright.

 _"_ _Is there anything you would like to say to her?"_ A man asked from behind the camera, a microphone peeking into frame.


	38. Chapter 38

_"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart,"_

Nina collapsed right then and there. Everyone in the room was stunned. Only Thor reacted quick enough to catch her. Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs as an outpouring of gratification and affection continued on screen. Until that moment she had been fully convinced that what she had done didn't matter. That not saving that girl was her biggest failure. Hearing that very girl's mother, _any_ mother, tell her that she was grateful for her intervention was more than she could handle.

"Come on. Come on, this is great! They love you," Olivia pulled Nina way from Thor and planted her on the couch between herself and Katerina, who both put an arm around her. Through her tears, she kept watching the broadcast, stopping every once in a while to wipe her eyes. It wasn't long before Olivia and Katerina were telling her how jealous they were of her official Avenger status and Nina was laughing. It was very likely that without her friends and the support of the people, she never would have been able to pull herself out of it.

Once things settled down, Olivia and Katerina started making plans. Having the day off and having been informed that the previous day was Nina's twenty-first birthday, they couldn't very well stare at the TV and cry all day. As much as they wanted to do something extravagant for Nina, she insisted they at least give her a day to recover. Instead of throwing a party or something of the like, they finally went to fetch Nina's belongings and stopped at a cafe on the way home.

No matter where they would have gone or what corner they tucked themselves into, they wouldn't have been able to avoid the questions. While the people of New York didn't know the identity of this 'Artemis' they _did_ know Olivia, who had made no previous attempt to pretend she didn't know the Avengers. Her social media accounts were full to the brim of secretly snapped pictures and sneaky videos of the super heroes in their daily life at the Tower. After threatening to sick the Hulk on them enough times, the people crowding them dispersed.

"Christ, you're more famous than I am now," Olivia complained when they were finally in the safety of one of their town cars. Nina couldn't help but find it funny.

When they got back to the Tower, Olivia and Katerina started helping her put her clothes away.

"Dear god, is this a turtle neck?" Olivia held up a sweater. "What are you, ninety?" Nina rolled her eyes and went to snatch the garment out of her hands. Katerina was faster.

"She's right. You need a new wardrobe," Katerina insisted before tossing the sweater into a small waste basket by the bed.

Nina had a tendency to dress conservatively, which was a no go for both Olivia and Katerina. Without Nina's permission they begun rifling through her clothing, deciding what she could and could not keep. By the time they were done she wasn't left with much to wear. They promised to take her out shopping the next day. On them, of course. Even though Nina was a little frightened at the though of putting her wardrobe in Olivia's hands, she couldn't help but feel excited while falling asleep that night.

The next morning, they wouldn't even let her dress herself. They picked out for her a tight pair of jeans and a baby blue t-shirt than Olivia insisted _must_ be knotted to make it into a crop top. Katerina dug through her own closet to find a pair of royal blue, velvet high heel sandals, which Nina was sure she would break her ankles in. Katerina then did Nina's makeup with a professional precision she could never hope to achieve and did her hair up in an elaborate bun that looked effortlessly messy.

By the time all was said a done Nina was feeling very attractive and very unsure of herself. The girls then paraded her through the house, leaving Steve and Bucky open mouthed in their wake before they left.

With Tony Stark's bank account at their fingertips there was nowhere they couldn't go and nothing they couldn't do. They spend hours on Madison Avenue poking around boutiques Nina would never have imagined even stepping foot in. Despite how she looked and the company she was in, she still felt very much out of place. By four o'clock that evening Nina's arms were weighed down by Armani, Chanel, and Fendi, among other things.

"I have just had the greatest idea of all time," Olivia announced as they left the Buttercup Bake Shop.


	39. Chapter 39

This was already the best birthday Nina had ever had. Hell, it was probably the best _day_ she had ever had. Katerina had managed to keep Olivia reigned in, as shopping high end fashion was more her forte. They had both known it was only a matter of time before Olivia turned the tables on them.

"No tattoos in dark alleys please," Nina said around a bite of an espresso shot cupcake.

"Yeah, I second that," Katerina shot Olivia a glare. Her pitchfork was still healing.

"Oh, you two are no fun at all," Olivia complained, wrapping an arm around each of them. "But that's not the plan. Nina can officially drink in public and we're taking advantage of that," Nina was really hoping she meant they were going to get a margarita or something on the way home, but she knew better.

They found themselves back at Stark Tower, staying just long enough to eat dinner and change clothes. Katerina dressed Nina, her official Barbie Doll, in a blue t-shirt dress that brought out the color of her eyes and barely covered her ass. She swapped out the velvet blues for a pair of black, lace up heels that were just as tall and ten times as edgy. If Nina had thought she felt awkward before, she hadn't fully considered what Katerina was capable of.

While Katerina was getting Nina ready, Olivia had taken it upon herself to round up a posse. Considering they were going to a club, there were only so many people she could convince to go. Steve and Bucky were immediately out and Vision never really had an option. Olivia made it a point not to tell her father, lest he _actually_ come with them and make a fool of himself. She didn't even ask Bruce, who was still hanging around for whatever reason. In the end, Thor, Pietro, and Wanda were all she could scrape together. An entourage of six didn't seem so bad and she considered it a win.

Nina had never been to a club before, obviously. Even if she could have gotten legal admittance before now she never would have tried. Her scene was quiet libraries and the Primrose Cafe. Regardless, some of the tension fell off her shoulders when the first echo of bass rolled through her body.

"Rodgers told me you weren't affected by alcohol," Thor gave Nina a questioning look as she ordered her first drink of the night; a cosmopolitan Olivia called her a pussy for drinking.

"Oh, it will. If I drink enough," He liked the smirk on her lips and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

While Nina and Thor drank to their hearts content, the others had split off to do their own thing. Wanda had found a nice gentlemen to dance with. Olivia was showing off the result of over a decade of hip hop choreography experience. Katerina and Pietro were off in an unnoticed corner, making out, which had been going on for some time.

"Would you dance with me?" Nina twisted the stem of an empty glass in her fingers. She'd known this was coming and, as buzzed as she was, she still didn't feel ready. Her heart skipped and her already flushed cheeks burned brighter.

"One more drink?" She gave Thor a shy smile, which only made her all the more irresistible. He had managed to be patient this long. What was another few minutes?

"Whiskey, please. On the rocks," At this point Nina was ordering drinks like she'd been doing it her whole life.

"Am I that undesirable?" Thor asked teasingly, letting out a bellowing laugh. Until then she had been sticking to colorful mixed drinks. Now that he had asked her to dance she was going for straight liquor.

"No, it's not that," Nina assured him as the bar tender slid the heavy glass into her hand. "I'm just not used to all this," She got to take one sip before Thor plucked the glass from her hand and placed it back on the counter.

Thor led her onto the dance floor, people moving out of their way and following the god and the lucky girl with their eyes. Neither of them noticed the murmurs arising around them. Katerina and Olivia did. They met each other in a less crowded spot to watch.


	40. Chapter 40

"So, do I get paid when they kiss or when they leave together?" Katerina asked Olivia, who was looking on in disappointment. She really should have seen this coming.

"One night stands don't count," Olivia grumbled.

"It isn't like they haven't been sleeping together for days now," Katerina pointed out. No matter how innocent Nina seemed, she couldn't believe she could spend the night with a sex god and not get some action.

"They haven't had sex," Olivia scoffed. "It would be all over her face," She did have a point there. Nina clearly wasn't good at hiding much of anything.

"Well then what are the guidelines?" Katerina was pretty sure Olivia was just stalling at this point. Either way, she was going to win this bet.

Olivia thought for a minute. This whole thing had started because she thought Nina and Cap were perfect for each other, being as stuffy and responsible as they were. Despite everything that had happened, she still thought that was true. The bet had never really been about them sleeping together. It had been about them falling head over heels for each other.

"When they make it official you win," Olivia finally decided, though she wasn't happy about it.

Nina's legs shook as she brought her arms up around his neck and his hands found her hips, pulling them flush against his own. Their eyes locked, both of them lost in each others stare. Everyone and everything around them melted away. They fell into the rhythm of the music, their bodies reacting without their consent.

"You look beautiful," His voice sent a shiver down her spine. He trailed his fingers up and down her side as his face inched closer to hers. She took a strand of his hair and wound it around her finger, tugging slightly. It was all the encouragement he needed.

His lips took hers in a hungry kiss and she melted into his arms. She kissed him back eagerly, drowning in the moment and hoping they never resurfaced. His fingers tangled in her hair, deepening the kiss even more. An almost undetectable moan slipped past her lips as he brought his other hand down to grab her backside. After that there was no coming back.

Just as everyone in sight of them had suspected, they left only minutes later, both still with a glazed look in their eyes. Thor had them home in minutes, pushing her onto their bed and crawling on top of her. She was completely at his mercy as his hands ravaged her body. She yelped as he nipped at her neck, increasing pleasure she thought was already maxed out.

In seconds they were undressed. His grip on her wrist was bruising. Her back arched as he trailed hot kisses down her body. Panting breath and needy touches took over, both of them entirely there and entirely elsewhere simultaneously. They didn't stop to think about what they were doing or what the consequences would be. For a brief time, they were two tangled beings alone in the universe.

"I don't know if we should go in there," Olivia whispered to Katerina. They were stood outside Nina and Thor's room to wake them up for training as Steve had decided play time was over. Olivia guessed there was some playing he didn't know about.

"She'll be mad if we don't wake her up. So will, Steve. I think he's smart enough to figure it out and you know how he feels about whatever has been going on between them," Katerina said in attempt to persuade her. She herself had no intention of opening that door. She wasn't stupid. Olivia on the other hand…

"I don't know, man," Olivia made a face. She had already seen Nina naked once and she had been hoping that would be the only time.

The door next to them suddenly flew open, causing them both to jump away before it hit them. Bucky emerged, looking a little more sleep deprived than usual. Olivia cowered, trying to work her way behind Katerina. She knew Wanda had a point and so far, it hadn't been a farfetched one. After the whole situation with the attack it was pretty clear Nina cared about Bucky. A lot. And she'd see him wink at her the other day. Olivia was pretty sure shit was about to get serious.


	41. Chapter 41

Bucky shoved Nina's door open so hard it banged against the wall, waking Thor and her up. They both jumped, Nina barely remembering to cover herself.

"Wake up," Bucky barked into the room, glaring intensely at Olivia as he turned to leave. Like all this was her fault.

"Good morning, princess," Olivia called into the room, still not willing to go inside. "It's back to work today, so...you know the drill," She bolted off pretty quickly, Katerina following close behind.

Nina sat up, keeping a sheet wrapped around herself. She could feel her heart sinking into her stomach as she realized she'd made a mistake.

She got up quickly and began darting around the room to gather clothes. If she was going to take a shower she was going to have to be quick. Right before she could escape into the bathroom, Thor's fingers curled around her wrist. She spun to face him, her eyes still frantic.

"Relax," He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Rodgers can wait," He leaned in to kiss her and she jolted away. His gaze turned to a look of confusion as his hand slipped from her face.

"What's wrong?" Nina was backing into the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," She squeaked before slipping into the bathroom and quickly closing the door, leaving Thor stunned on the other side.

She stood there for a minute, her hand still on the door knob.

 _What the hell is going on_?

She knew the answer, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. It was stupid and childish and she _couldn't_.

The second she had seen Bucky's face she knew she had made a mistake. It wasn't that he was so angry, which was unusual in itself. Steve was going to be angry too. She had expected that going into it and decided she didn't care. This was different. She felt like she needed to apologize to him and promise she would never do it again.

 _I don't love him. I can't. It doesn't even make sense. We barely know each other and he's...he would never love me. He probably doesn't even_ _ **like**_ _me._

Nina swallowed hard and shook her head vigorously. She bit back tears as she started her shower, getting in while it was still scalding hot. It didn't make her feel any better and she still wanted to run the second she got out.

"Tell me what's going on," Thor demanded gently as he took her hands in his. She immediately withdrew them, her eyes falling as her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

"I'm sorry. I don't think we should have done that," Nina was never one for confrontation. She was almost never in situations where confrontation was necessary and, when she was, she could usually avoid it until the problem disappeared. This time, it wasn't going to be so easy.

Thor pulled back, not saying anything. He had hoped this would have broken whatever infatuation she had with Barnes, or at least serve to distance her from it. It appeared to him that the opposite was happening instead.

"I took advantage of you," He looked away from her in shame.

"No!" Her eyes came back up to his face, utterly heartbroken at how sad he looked. "This isn't your fault. There's just so much going on in my life right now and...I don't think I can handle this," If anyone was taking advantage, it was her. She saw the way he looked at her. She let him get close to her physically. She had basically led him on since day one.

Thor met her eyes again, a sad, small smile on his face. "You do not have to defend me. I know your heart lies with another," The surprise on her face told him he was right.

"I-I don't-"

"It is alright," He stopped her stammering and after a few breaths she calmed down.


	42. Chapter 42

"I think we should start sleeping separately," She said quietly, but with certainty. This couldn't happen again. There might not be a way to recover from it happening _once_.

Thor agreed to Nina's terms and offered to move to another room. While Nina was just as against taking his room as she had been when he first showed up, she was obligated to accept. He left in order for her to continue to get ready and also so they wouldn't have to walk into the kitchen together. Nina was grateful for that. Everyone would already be staring. She didn't want the extra shame.

What she had expected was almost exactly what happened.

"Heeey," Olivia was clearly still tip-toeing around the whole situation.

Nina glared at her and rolled her eyes as she grabbed a plum from the fruit bowl on the counter.

"You feelin' okay? You don't look like you're having trouble walking," Olivia couldn't help but laugh a little at the look on Nina's face.

"Liv, I swear to god-"

"Oh, no need," Tony's voice caught everyone's attention.

"You girls have fun last night? No hangovers? No bails I should know about?" This was mostly directed at Olivia. He always had a way of throwing a wet blanket on her.

"And you," Tony turned his attention to Nina, giving her a disappointed look that made her feel like a teenager again. He pressed a button on his phone and a little blue hologram popped up with a picture of Nina and Thor kissing at the club. Nina's hand immediately came up to cover her face.

"Oooh no," She groaned.

"'Oh no' is right. Do you have any idea the kind of negative impact this is going to have on your image? On _all_ of our images?" There was a short pause. "I hope it didn't go any further than that," Thor wasn't going to say anything. Nina wasn't going to say anything. Even Olivia planned on keeping her mouth shut.

"It did," Bucky mercilessly brought any hope Nina had of having a peaceful day to an end.

There was a lot of disappointment on Tony's end. Steve was shocked and disgusted. Bucky was both angry and slightly amused. Thor and Nina kept their distance and didn't comment.

On their way downstairs, Olivia pulled Nina aside.

"What's going on? I was expecting you two to be more...friendly? I mean, you've been avoiding each other all morning so far," Nina sighed heavily. To her surprise, she actually _did_ want to talk about it.

"It shouldn't have happened, Liv," They locked arms, their hips bumping together as they walked. Katerina glanced back at them, ignoring what Steve was telling her about their goals for the day. He was rambling awkwardly, just trying to get the image of Nina and Thor out of his mind.

"Why not? I hate to say it, but you guys aren't _bad_ for each other," Olivia had grown pretty attached to Nina since picking her up at the gala. As soft as it made her feel, in the end, she just wanted her friend to be happy.

"It just didn't feel right. I mean, last night I didn't care so much, but..." Olivia groaned.

"Is it Bucky? God dammit. Now I'm gonna have to listen to Wanda," As worked up as Nina was, she couldn't help but smile a little. While her whole life was twisting this way and that, Olivia seemed to be her only constant.

"I don't know," Nina said, being extra careful not to let Steve hear. "I _really_ shouldn't," Olivia gave her a squeeze.

"Hey, fuck it. We don't choose who we love," It was true, but it wasn't very reassuring. The last thing Nina needed was another mess, but the more she thought about it the more certain she was that she was a little too attached to the Winter Soldier.

Running was almost a blessing that day. Nina's muscles had been given time enough to relax properly and the pain was a good distraction from everything going on. On their way inside, before starting round two of Cap Camp, Steve pulled her aside too. She was a little less than eager to know why.


	43. Chapter 43

"Nina, I wanted to talk to you," She stopped and waited for him to decide what he was going to say. He looked even more weirded out than she felt, which was pretty impressive. "I just wanted to make sure that you were," He cleared his throat. "Um, responsible," Nina couldn't help but smile. Olivia was right about him. So innocent.

"Ye-" Nina suddenly closed her mouth. "Um," She couldn't believe it. Until now the thought of protection hadn't even crossed her mind. She couldn't believe she could be so stupid.

"Well, if you need anything..." Steve awkwardly trailed off.

"It won't happen again. I mean, it wasn't _supposed_ to happen in the first place. I just...needed...something, I guess. Everything that's going on is really overwhelming and I just let it get to me, I think," Steve relaxed as she rambled. He knew very well what it was like to be thrown into a world you don't understand and imagined the comfort of intimacy with another human being must have been very tempting. He couldn't blame her for what she had done.

Nina was nervous to meet Bucky for combat training, and she most certainly should have been. Three minutes into 'sparring' she realized whatever anger he had felt earlier was nowhere near gone. She tried to be fast and concentrate at the same time. Every time her defense fell, which was too often, he would tap her on the jaw with his fist. Not enough to hurt, but enough the scare her. Every chance he got, he restrained her or she found herself on the floor, her lungs free of oxygen. It became very clear that he had no intention of showing her anything constructive.

With a huff, she pushed herself up from the floor again. Before she had a chance to recover he was lunging at her. She didn't try to put up a fight. There was no way she could have stopped him, so why bother? He quickly released her from the hold he had her in and took a step back.

"You're not trying," He pointed out, to which Nina let out a bitter laugh.

"Well, no," She raised her arms and let them fall back to her sides with a slap. "I don't know what I'm doing and you're not giving me any direction. It feels like you're just trying to put me on my ass as much as possible," She complained.

Suddenly, she didn't feel ashamed anymore. So she slept with Thor. It was a good time and she wasn't going to pretend it wasn't. And, no, she shouldn't have done it. He obviously had a thing for her and she took advantage of that so she could remember what relief felt like. That was between the two of them. If Bucky was going to be angry about it, so be it. However, if he were going to be so bitter he couldn't train her properly she wanted nothing to do with the situation.

"If you were paying attention you wouldn't feel that way," He insisted, getting back into a fighting stance. Nina ran her tongue across her teeth and raised her eyebrows. She was a gentle person. She really, _really_ was. But she wanted nothing more than to hit him hard enough for him to feel it.

No matter how hard she tried to evade him it was only seconds before she was trapped again. Her back was pressed against him, one of his arms trapping hers and the other nearly choking her. She let out a growl of frustration and jerked in a futile struggle.

"Calm down," She clenched her fists and turned her hot gaze on him. For someone who left his last Stark Expo with a girl on each arm, he sure didn't know how to deal with women.

"Let me go," Nina spoke through her teeth, her voice low and venomous. He did as she asked, air flowing back into her lungs once she was free.

"This is pointless," She said, rubbing a hand over her throat.

"No it isn't-"

"Yes! It is. Why are you so mad anyway?" Everyone turned to look when Nina raised her voice. It had lowered almost immediately, and they hadn't heard what came next. Olivia and Thor stopped sparring long enough to watch as Nina stepped closer to Bucky, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Oh, shit. Get 'em, girl," Olivia silently cheered her on.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bucky insisted.

"Oh, you don't?" Nina wasn't having any of it. He could see that. She wasn't stupid. "Okay, well, in that case I'll leave you to fume alone and go do something productive," When she walked away from him, still looking like she could kill the next person to cross her path, the sway of her hips caught his attention.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N:** While I haven't lost motivation or the desire to write this story, I have all but completely lost steam at this point. I know what I need to establish in the next part, but I have no idea how I'm going to do it. It's not that it's complicated, it's just that I don't have any ideas. So, if anyone wants to give me a push or discuss the continuation of this story with me, I am open to assistance.

Steve was close behind her as she headed back outside. Reluctantly, she stopped to talk to him.

"What happened?" He asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Bucky is an idiot. That's what happened," This wasn't the first time Steve had heard something like this. Bucky had broken plenty of hearts back in the day. He just couldn't see the correlation at the moment.

"What do you mean?" He was pretty lost and taken aback at how angry Nina was.

"Look, I don't know what his deal is, but he clearly isn't interested in training me today. I'm just going to run some more. If you want to know whats going on, ask him," With that, Nina spun on her heels and stormed off, leaving Steve no less baffled.

Running was a good outlet for a little while, but before long she found herself lying in the grass, staring up at the passing clouds. She lied there for hours, drinking in the fresh air and questioning her life decisions. Had her life not gone off the rails she probably would have been in bed, flipping through her phone, and trying to decide what to have for breakfast. It sounded like a pleasant dream now.

"Yo, Flower Girl," Olivia finally showed up. Nina knew she would. "What's the sitch?" She asked as she plopped down on the ground next to her.

"You tell me, Wade," Despite the nostalgic reference and Olivia's pleasant attitude, she was still grumpy. At this point she was holding onto it just because there was nothing else to do.

"He's jealous, isn't he?" Olivia had no doubt where that was concerned. It was pretty obvious from the get-go.

"That or he hates me," Nina answered bitterly.

"Nah, he doesn't hate you," Olivia bumped her leg against Nina's.

"Forget about him. Lets get some lunch," Olivia forced Nina up, who followed her unwillingly back into the Tower.

The rest of the day's training, since it didn't include Bucky or Thor, went off without a hitch. Well, that is if you consider Nina putting a crack in the foundation a hitch or a design choice. For the rest of the day everyone steered clear and let her vent. This meant no one knew where she was for most of the evening.

A slam caught Nina's attention on her way back to her bedroom. She froze for a second before hurrying down the hall. When she found Thor against the wall with Bucky's hand around his throat, she lost whatever cool she had collected during her time alone.

"Stop it!" She grabbed Bucky's shoulder and gave it a hard pull. She couldn't have moved him if he didn't let her. "Do you want to stop being a child for two fucking minutes? This is ridiculous," She shouted at him. He didn't flinch.

"Nina-"

"No!" She cut Thor off before he could get started.

"Both of you just shut the fuck up and get yourselves together. I'm done with this shit. All of it! Do you think I need this while everything else in my life is going to hell? I've seen people die and I'm sure that's every day fucking business for you two, but I can't handle that. I should be playing some gig in Brooklyn right now and getting ready to go back to school. Now I'm just waiting for the next catastrophe and ruining my personal relationships with my destructive coping mechanisms. So, if you two could stop acting like children and forget I exist, I would really appreciate it," By the time she stopped yelling they were both staring at her, wide eyed, and she was holding back angry tears.

She pushed past them and into her room, slamming and promptly locking the door. She did the same to her bathroom door before getting into the shower, where she had a good cry and tried not to punch anything. That last part was hard to justify since split knuckles and broken bones would heal almost instantly and the pain sounded like a relief.


End file.
